Comparative Study of Natural and Synthetic Sizing Agents on the Weaving Performance of Cotton Warp Yarns in Aba Textile Industry

Sizing is a critical preparatory process in weaving, applying a protective coating to warp yarns to improve their performance under the mechanical stresses of loom operation. This study compares the performance of natural sizing agents, including cassava starch and gum Arabic, against synthetic agents, specifically polyvinyl alcohol and carboxymethyl cellulose, on cotton warp yarns used in the Aba textile industry, Abia State, South East Nigeria. Sized yarn samples were prepared at varying add-on levels of 8, 12, and 16 percent and characterised for tensile strength, elongation at break, abrasion resistance, hairiness index, and sizing agent penetration. Weaving trials were conducted on a shuttle loom to evaluate end-break rate per 100 loom hours as a practical performance indicator. Results demonstrate that cassava starch at 12 percent add-on achieved an end-break rate of 2.4 per 100 loom hours, comparable to polyvinyl alcohol at 2.1 breaks per 100 loom hours, while gum Arabic performed poorly at 5.8 breaks per 100 loom hours. Tensile strength increase was highest for polyvinyl alcohol-sized yarns at 38 percent above unsized controls, followed by cassava starch at 29 percent. Hairiness reduction was most pronounced for carboxymethyl cellulose treatment. The study concludes that cassava starch represents a cost-competitive and locally available alternative to synthetic sizing agents for small-scale weavers in South East Nigeria, provided concentration and viscosity are carefully controlled. Keywords: sizing agent, cassava starch, warp yarn, weaving performance, Aba textile