Professor Ryszard M. Kozlowski is the award-winning former Director of the Polish Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Textile Institute, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Natural Fibres, Scientific Advisor to the Institute for Engineering of Polymer Materials and Dyes, and Doctor Honoris Causa of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ibarra, Ecuador. Professor Koz?owski is also Coordinator of both ESCORENA (the European System of Cooperative Research Networks in Agriculture and the FAO/ESCORENA European Cooperative Research Network on Flax and other Bast Plants. He is the author/co-author of over 300 publications, including 26 books and 25 patents. Maria Mackiewicz-Talarczyk is assistant at Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants in Poland.

• Part One Processing techniques for natural fibres1 Cotton fibres, picking, ginning, spinning and weaving2 Processing of jute fibres and its applications3 Silk e production and future trends4 The use of flax and hemp for textile applications5 Use of bast fibres including flax fibres for high challenge technical textile applications. Extraction, preparation and requirements for the manufacturing of composite reinforcement fabrics and for geotextiles6 Multi-scale mechanical characterization of flax fibres for the reinforcement of composite materials7 Enzymatic treatment of natural fibres8 Improving the properties of natural fibres by chemical treatments9 Electrokinetic properties of natural fibres10 Improving the flame retardancy of natural fibres11 Bast fibres: the role of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in remediation of degraded lands12 Medical potential of cannabis: an overviewPart Two Applications and case studies for natural fibres13 Chemical and physical characteristic of modified cotton and linen fabrics with amine-terminated dendritic polymer14 Natural fibre composites (NFCs) for construction and automotive industries15 Natural fibres for geotextiles16 Properties and applications of ultrafine powders produced from natural fibres17 The application of flax and hempseed in food, nutraceutical and personal care products18 Natural fibres for paper and packaging19 Environmental textiles from jute and coir20 Antimicrobial natural fibres21 Biomimetics and textile materials

Professor Ryszard M. Kozlowski is the award-winning former Director of the Polish Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Textile Institute, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Natural Fibres, Scientific Advisor to the Institute for Engineering of Polymer Materials and Dyes, and Doctor Honoris Causa of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ibarra, Ecuador. Professor Koz?owski is also Coordinator of both ESCORENA (the European System of Cooperative Research Networks in Agriculture and the FAO/ESCORENA European Cooperative Research Network on Flax and other Bast Plants. He is the author/co-author of over 300 publications, including 26 books and 25 patents. Maria Mackiewicz-Talarczyk is assistant at Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants in Poland.

• Part One Processing techniques for natural fibres1 Cotton fibres, picking, ginning, spinning and weaving2 Processing of jute fibres and its applications3 Silk e production and future trends4 The use of flax and hemp for textile applications5 Use of bast fibres including flax fibres for high challenge technical textile applications. Extraction, preparation and requirements for the manufacturing of composite reinforcement fabrics and for geotextiles6 Multi-scale mechanical characterization of flax fibres for the reinforcement of composite materials7 Enzymatic treatment of natural fibres8 Improving the properties of natural fibres by chemical treatments9 Electrokinetic properties of natural fibres10 Improving the flame retardancy of natural fibres11 Bast fibres: the role of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in remediation of degraded lands12 Medical potential of cannabis: an overviewPart Two Applications and case studies for natural fibres13 Chemical and physical characteristic of modified cotton and linen fabrics with amine-terminated dendritic polymer14 Natural fibre composites (NFCs) for construction and automotive industries15 Natural fibres for geotextiles16 Properties and applications of ultrafine powders produced from natural fibres17 The application of flax and hempseed in food, nutraceutical and personal care products18 Natural fibres for paper and packaging19 Environmental textiles from jute and coir20 Antimicrobial natural fibres21 Biomimetics and textile materials