Several types of regenerated fibers that are easily confused.

Introduction

Regenerated fibers are essentially man-made fibers, obtained through different processing methods to produce spinnable fibers with varying functions and characteristics. Resources on Earth are divided into organic and inorganic matter. Organic matter includes all living organisms, such as animals and plants, while inorganic matter includes metals, minerals, and polymers.

Bamboo fiber, bamboo pulp fiber, bamboo charcoal fiber

Currently, common regenerated fibers on the market, such as bamboo fiber, bamboo pulp fiber, and bamboo charcoal fiber, are often confused. Bamboo fiber is divided into bamboo cellulose fiber and bamboo bast fiber, and it is customary to refer to bamboo fiber as bamboo bast fiber. Bamboo cellulose fiber is produced by spinning after treating bamboo pulp using biochemical methods, similar to the viscose process, or by processing bamboo cellulose, bamboo splints, etc., using physical methods such as steaming. Products include Tianzhu fiber, Yunzhu fiber, Laizhu fiber, and Bamboo Tencel. Bamboo bast fiber, on the other hand, is a product obtained from moso bamboo treated with natural biological agents, retaining the natural antibacterial, anti-mite, and anti-ultraviolet functions of bamboo fiber, but its feel is not as good as bamboo cellulose fiber. Therefore, textile companies generally specify bamboo pulp fiber when promoting their products, which belongs to bamboo cellulose fiber; otherwise, it is easily mistaken for bamboo bast fiber.
Laizhu fiber (including Bamboo Tencel fiber) is a new type of cellulose fiber developed using the Lyocell fiber production process, with physical indicators close to Modal fiber (but with greater dry and wet elongation than Modal). Bamboo charcoal fiber is a functional fiber formed by carbonizing bamboo under pure oxygen and high temperature with ammonia gas isolation, and then processing it into nano-sized fine powder slurry and blending it with viscose or polyester spinning solution. This process is significantly different from the above processes.

2 Cellulose fibers, cellulose ester fibers

In terms of manufacturing processes, regenerated cellulose fibers and cellulose ester fibers have significant differences. In the conventional viscose fiber wet spinning process, pulp is impregnated with a sodium hydroxide solution, while in the cuprammonium rayon process, it is impregnated with a concentrated ammonia solution of copper hydroxide or alkaline copper salt, ultimately forming cellulose xanthate. Cellulose ester fibers use cellulose as a raw material, for example, by esterifying the hydroxyl groups of cellulose to produce cellulose acetate, which is then processed through dry or wet spinning. Cuprammonium rayon has similar dry strength to viscose fiber, but its wet strength and abrasion resistance are better. Using a certain proportion of it in woolen products can significantly improve the fabric’s softness and luster. Cellulose acetate is a thermoplastic fiber with durable heat-setting properties. Combined with its low modulus, soft feel, wrinkle resistance, good elasticity, and excellent drape, it is a suitable choice for high-end silk or knitted fabrics, offering good value for money.

3 Tencel, Lyocell

Lyocell is hailed as the “green fiber of the 21st century.” It is a regenerated cellulose fiber produced using N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) as a solvent in a wet spinning process. Waste materials are naturally biodegradable, and 99.5% of the amine oxide solvent used in the production process can be recycled. It is described as having “extremely low toxicity and does not pollute the environment.”
However, industry professionals, the media, and even some experts in academic reports and papers often treat “Tencel®” and “Lyocell” as two different fibers, comparing Tencel with Lyocell and other cellulose fibers, leading to confusion. Therefore, it is necessary to briefly review the history of Lyocell. In 1980, the Dutch company Akzo first applied for patents for the Lyocell fiber process and product. The British company Courtaulds was one of the earliest manufacturers to develop Lyocell fiber. Subsequently, Akzo Nobel acquired 65% of Courtaulds’ shares, forming Acordis. Finally, the Austrian company Lenzing acquired the Tencel Group company under Corsadi BV, a subsidiary of Acordis. Since then, Lenzing has dominated the production of Lyocell fiber. From March 2005, Lenzing decided to use the trade name “Tencel®” for all its Lyocell fibers. During this period, the manufacturer of Tencel® was the British company Courtaulds.

Therefore, Tencel® is simply the trademark name for Lyocell fiber produced by Lenzing, representing a brand name for a fiber product, not a classification of fiber composition. Since it is a trademark name, it should be accompanied by the registered trademark symbol; otherwise, the representation is incorrect. Just like Polyester fiber, which includes varieties such as PET, PBT, PTT, and cationic dyeable polyester, Lyocell is the name of a broad category of fibers, and ordinary Lyocell fibers include filaments and staple fibers. Lyocell filaments are primarily represented by Akzo Nobel’s Newcell®, while Lyocell staple fibers include Tencel®, Alceru®, Cocel®, and Acell®, among others. These varieties all use wood pulp as raw material. The most widely used by spinning companies is Lenzing’s non-fibrillated Tencel® A100, while Tencel® LF (low fibrillation) and G100 (fibrillated) are used for post-processing and specific applications. Therefore, when writing a paper and mentioning Lyocell or Lyocell fiber, it is important to specify the brand name and not broadly compare Lyocell with other manufacturers’ regenerated fiber products, which can lead to confusion between individual and general concepts.

4 Hemp fibers, hemp pulp fibers

My country is the world’s leading producer of hemp fiber, but due to the complex pre-treatment process of hemp fiber, which includes curing, moisturizing, and pre-opening, the process is time-consuming, technically demanding, and causes significant damage to equipment, making it difficult for ordinary cotton mills to handle. Therefore, since 2005, the China Textile Academy has been conducting research and development on the localization of Lyocell fiber technology and products, achieving remarkable results in the environmentally friendly utilization of bamboo and hemp resources. Similar to bamboo fiber, hemp fiber is also divided into two types: natural hemp fiber and hemp pulp viscose fiber made from hemp as a cellulose source. Natural hemp fiber, like natural bamboo fiber, is obtained through mechanical separation, flash explosion processing, and chemical degumming. Hemp pulp viscose fiber is a regenerated cellulose fiber produced by wet spinning, and its waste is naturally biodegradable. Currently, there are various types of hemp pulp viscose fibers, such as ramie fiber, Lyocell hemp fiber, hemp Tencel fiber, and silk-hemp fiber. Incidentally, the TM symbol often seen in the upper right corner of product names, unlike the ® trademark symbol, indicates that the trademark has been applied for with the National Intellectual Property Administration and an “Acceptance Notice” has been issued, preventing others from filing duplicate applications.

Concunction

Shengma™ (Hebei Jihao Chemical Fiber) is made from jute, ramie, and flax as raw materials, using processes such as steaming, bleaching, gelatinization, spinning, and post-treatment, retaining the antibacterial properties of hemp; Laima™ (Jilin Chemical Fiber) has a sawtooth-shaped fiber cross-section and longitudinally distributed grooves. It features a high wet modulus, more than three times that of ordinary cellulose fibers, and is resistant to deformation; Masail™ (Jutecell Hengtian Hailong) uses jute as a raw material and is a differentiated viscose fiber that retains the hollow shape of the original hemp, maintaining antibacterial, mildew-proof, moisture-absorbing, and quick-drying properties; Simama™ (Shandong Yinying), based on hemp pulp fiber, utilizes ultrafine powder technology to use silk protein powder as a carrier with viscose, forming a modified hemp pulp protein cellulose fiber through cross-linking and blending technology. This overcomes the disadvantages of viscose being soft and lacking structure, providing both the feel and luster of real silk and the texture of hemp.

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