Lyocell
Lyocell is a made of cellulose, regenerated fiber industrially produced, which is produced by the direct solvent method. It is mainly used in the textile industry, but also for non-woven fabrics ( nonwovens ) and technical applications. Lyocell is the generic fiber name and is offered by Lenzing AG under the brand name Tencel.
Properties
Tencel fibers have a high dry and wet strength, are soft and absorb moisture very well. This produced textiles have a smooth and cool to the touch on with running case, have washed a low tendency to wrinkle and can and will dry cleaned.
Tencel fibers having 0.9 dtex ( 0.9 grams per 10,000 meters length of yarn ) of 15 dtex available in a wide range of micro-fibers and coarse fibers. Standard Tencel can be used because of fibrillation for textiles with peach -like velvety surface ( peach -skin effect) or be stabilized by suitable equipment in the textile. For other applications nonfibrillating Tencel fibers.
Use
The fiber is used in many areas, such as the manufacture of denim fabrics, blouse fabrics, functional fabrics in the sports sector, for workwear, underwear and bedding products as well as nonwovens product ( nonwoven ) for personal hygiene and cosmetic products. In addition, the fiber is used in textiles in the medical field and for industrial products. It is used frequently in admixture with various fibers such as cotton or viscose ( modal ), and also synthetic fibers such as polyester and polyamide.
Production
The cellulose is extracted from wood. The pulp so obtained is then dissolved in N-methylmorpholine- N-oxide ( NMO), a non-toxic solvent with removal of water without chemical modification, filtered, and then forced through spinnerets. The filaments thus formed are precipitated in a bath of aqueous solution of NMO and summarized as a fiber cable. Depending on the application, followed by further treatment steps such as cleaning, avivage and drying, crimping and cutting. Compared to other regenerated fibers such as viscose manufacturing process is considered to be much less harmful to the environment due to the environmentally friendly solvent and a closed fuel cycle.
History
The viscose fiber manufacturer Lenzing AG and competitors and Courtaulds plc produced since the 1990s lyocell fibers, among other things, on the basis of licenses of the Dutch Akzo ( Courtaulds since 1992, Lenzing since 1997). After several changes of ownership of the former Courtaulds Group, the division was spun Tencel. In 2004, the Lenzing Tencel group of companies. Tencel operation after the takeover ever a plant in the United States ( Mobile, Alabama), the UK ( Grimsby ) and in Austria ( Holy Cross ), and a pilot plant in Austria. The total nominal capacity was 120,000 tons.
1987 was taken from Courtaulds plc in Grimsby (UK ), the first lyocell plant. In 1990, the Lenzing AG started with a pilot plant. Commercially, lyocell fibers since 1991 by Courtaulds in Mobile, Alabama ( USA) and produced since 1997 by Lenzing Heiligenkreuz ( Austria ). Following the acquisition of the Tencel group in 2004, Lenzing AG operates one plant in the United States ( Mobile, Alabama), the UK ( Grimsby ) and in Austria ( Holy Cross ), and a pilot plant in Austria at the Lenzing site. The total rated capacity is approximately 130,000 tons per year. Currently ( 2012) builds the Lenzing AG Lenzing Tencel a new production plant with an annual capacity of approx. 67,000 tons.