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US20210010163A1 - Lyocell fiber with increased tendency to fibrillate - Google Patents

Lyocell fiber with increased tendency to fibrillate Download PDF

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Publication number
US20210010163A1
US20210010163A1 US16/978,220 US201916978220A US2021010163A1 US 20210010163 A1 US20210010163 A1 US 20210010163A1 US 201916978220 A US201916978220 A US 201916978220A US 2021010163 A1 US2021010163 A1 US 2021010163A1
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Prior art keywords
pulp
lyocell
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fibers
lyocell fiber
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Inventor
Martina Opietnik
Verena Silbermann
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Lenzing AG
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Lenzing AG
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Classifications

    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21—PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21H—PULP COMPOSITIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D21H11/00—Pulp or paper, comprising cellulose or lignocellulose fibres of natural origin only
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
    • D01F—CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS
    • D01F2/00—Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of cellulose or cellulose derivatives; Manufacture thereof
    • D01F2/06—Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of cellulose or cellulose derivatives; Manufacture thereof from viscose
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
    • D01F—CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS
    • D01F2/00—Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of cellulose or cellulose derivatives; Manufacture thereof
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/42—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties characterised by the use of certain kinds of fibres insofar as this use has no preponderant influence on the consolidation of the fleece
    • D04H1/425—Cellulose series
    • D04H1/4258—Regenerated cellulose series
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H3/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length
    • D04H3/013—Regenerated cellulose series
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21—PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21C—PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE BY REMOVING NON-CELLULOSE SUBSTANCES FROM CELLULOSE-CONTAINING MATERIALS; REGENERATION OF PULPING LIQUORS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • D21C9/00—After-treatment of cellulose pulp, e.g. of wood pulp, or cotton linters ; Treatment of dilute or dewatered pulp or process improvement taking place after obtaining the raw cellulosic material and not provided for elsewhere
    • D21C9/001—Modification of pulp properties
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21—PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21H—PULP COMPOSITIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D21H13/00—Pulp or paper, comprising synthetic cellulose or non-cellulose fibres or web-forming material
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21—PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21H—PULP COMPOSITIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D21H13/00—Pulp or paper, comprising synthetic cellulose or non-cellulose fibres or web-forming material
    • D21H13/02—Synthetic cellulose fibres
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21—PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21H—PULP COMPOSITIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D21H13/00—Pulp or paper, comprising synthetic cellulose or non-cellulose fibres or web-forming material
    • D21H13/02—Synthetic cellulose fibres
    • D21H13/08—Synthetic cellulose fibres from regenerated cellulose
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21—PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21H—PULP COMPOSITIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D21H27/00—Special paper not otherwise provided for, e.g. made by multi-step processes
    • D21H27/002—Tissue paper; Absorbent paper
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21—PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21H—PULP COMPOSITIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D21H27/00—Special paper not otherwise provided for, e.g. made by multi-step processes
    • D21H27/08—Filter paper

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a lyocell fiber with increased tendency to fibrillate, a method for producing same as well as products comprising the lyocell fiber.
  • Fibers of various types are employed for producing products such as wipes and tissues. Typically, such fibers do show a high degree of fibrillation in order to enable uptake of other materials (during use or to provide functionalized wipes for example).
  • fibers employed in this field are cellulose based fibers.
  • fibrillated regenerated cellulose fibers milled in refiners, which are well known to experts, are used in blends with pulps. Products from this process can be used in numerous applications—e.g. in wipes for cleaning and wiping and tissues and technical applications.
  • the fibrillated fibers generate increased stability and improved uptake for cleaning purposes and a decreased air permeability and porosity.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 8,187,422 describes a blend with fibrillated lyocell-microfibers and paper pulp to optimize cleaning performance of the final wipe product resulting in increased opacity and porosity and enhanced softness of the final product.
  • lyocell fibers can be fibrillated in an aqueous medium with low solid content using a disk refiner or a similar device.
  • a chemical pre-treatment is employed for such fibers as to fibrillate the fibers without any chemical pre-treatment would consume enormous amounts of energy and time.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 8,187,422 discloses that the already fibrillated fibers (obtained from an external supplier) are processed to produce disposable wipes containing 25-75% of these fibrillated fibers.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,769 shows an example of chemical treatments to enhance fibrillation tendency. It discloses chemical treatments to reduce the DP (degree of polymerization) by 200 units, thereby increasing fibrillation tendency.
  • Chemical treatments mentioned in this patent refer to the use of bleaching reagents, such as sodium hypochlorite or mineral acids, such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid or nitric acid. A commercialization of this procedure did not succeed up to now.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 9,222,222 discloses mixtures of lyocell fibers and low DP or standard DP cellulose pulp fibers with a CSF (Canadian Standard Freeness) of 250 ml or less, retaining the CSF values even after drying.
  • the pulp fibers account for 10-75% of total weight of fibers in the mixture.
  • the low DP pulp contains higher amounts of hemicelluloses but is only added to the mixtures as a low DP pulp, without mentioning any relevance of the hemicellulose content.
  • the fibrillation tendency is measured using the CSF-method (Canadian Standard of Freeness) according to TAPPI Standard T227 om-94.
  • US 2015//0184338 A1 discloses compositions including Kraft pulp.
  • WO 99/47733 describes lyocell fibers and compositions for making same.
  • WO 2011/079331 A1, WO 01/81664 A1, WO 2014/161018 A1 and WO 2016/197156 A1 disclose technical background information concerning cellulose fibers and compositions useful for preparing such fibers.
  • WO 2016065377 describes a wipe containing 5-20 wt % of a fast fibrillating lyocell fiber produced by chemical treatments with mineral acids. This fiber is characterized by a very fast fibrillation. During refining this fast fibrillation is not always feasible. Whilst the standard lyocell fibers tend to fibrillate too slow, this fiber fibrillates too fast. In addition, it has to be taken into consideration that chemical treatment induced fibrillation has detrimental effects on fiber properties.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 6,706,237 discloses that meltblown fibers obtained from hemicelluloses rich pulps show a decreased or reduced tendency to fibrillate.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 8,420,004 discloses another example of meltblown fibers for producing non-woven fabrics.
  • Zhang et al (Polymer Engineering and Science, 2007, 47, 702-706) describe fibers with higher hemicellulose contents. The authors postulate that the fibers tend to show an enhanced fiber fibrillation resistance, lower crystallinity and better dyeability. They also postulate that the tensile strength only decreases insignificantly and that the fiber properties could be even increased further by higher hemicelluloses concentrations in the spinning dope.
  • Zhang et al Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2008, 107, 636-641
  • Zhang et al Polymer Materials Science and Engineering, 2008, 24, 11, 99-102 disclose the same figures as the paper by Zhang (Polymer Engineering and Science, 2007, 47, 702-706), while Zhang et al (China Synthetic Fiber Industry, 2008, 31, 2, 24-27) describe better mechanical properties. The same authors postulate this same theory in Journal of Applied Science, 2009, 113, 150-156.
  • well-balanced fibrillation dynamics are in embodiments desired during the refining process.
  • a fast fibrillating fiber with good fiber properties is desired, as it enables easier processing of the fiber and results in improved strength and porosity properties of the wipe.
  • the present inventors accordingly provide the fiber as defined in claim 1 , the method for producing same as described in claim 11 as well as products containing same as defined in claim 16 as well as the use defined in claim 8 .
  • Preferred embodiments are described in the respective subclaims as well as in the specification.
  • Lyocell fiber with increased tendency to fibrillate without chemical treatment requiring a time of less than 80 minutes to obtain a 50° SR value according to ISO 5267-1:1999 while the reduction of the working capacity [cN/tex*%] at the 50° SR value is less than 50%.
  • Lyocell fiber according to embodiment 1 and/or 2 wherein the reduction of the working capacity is less than 40%, preferably less than 30%.
  • Lyocell fiber according to any one of embodiments 1 to 3, having a titer of 9 dtex or less, such as 6 dtex or less, preferably 3 dtex or less.
  • Lyocell fiber according to any one of embodiments 1 to 4 produced from a pulp having a hemicelluloses content of 7 wt.-% or more and 25 wt.-% or less.
  • Lyocell fiber according to any one of embodiments 5 or 6, wherein the pulp comprises 5 wt.-% or more xylan, preferably 8 wt.-% or more, more preferably 10 wt.-% or more and/or 3 wt.-% or more mannan, preferably 5 wt.-% or more mannan, and/or 1 wt.-% or less mannan.
  • hemicellulose comprises a ratio of C5/xylan to C6/mannan of from 125:1 to 1:3, preferably of from 25:1 to 1:2.
  • the pulp comprises 5 wt.-% or more xylan, preferably 8 wt.-% or more, more preferably 10 wt.-% or more and/or 3 wt.-% or more mannan, preferably 5 wt.-% or more mannan, and/or 1 wt.-% or less mannan.
  • Method for producing the lyocell fiber according to embodiment 11 using an amine oxide process where an aqueous solution of the amine oxide and the pulp form a cellulose suspension and a shapeable solution which gets shaped and coagulated in a spin bath obtaining the lyocell fiber after washing and pre-treatment steps.
  • Lyocell fiber use or method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the pulp has a scan viscosity of from 300 to 440 ml/g.
  • Product comprising the lyocell fiber according to any one of embodiments 1 to 7 or 15, or the fiber produced according to any one of claims 11 to 15 .
  • FIG. 1 shows the fibrillation dynamics of a fiber in accordance with the present invention in comparison with a standard lyocell fiber and a lyocell fiber subjected to chemical fibrillation.
  • the fiber in accordance with the present invention is a lyocell fiber with an increased tendency to fibrillate without requiring a chemical pre-treatment.
  • a chemical pre-treatment step is for example described in AT 515693 B1.
  • the lyocell process is well known in the art and relates to a direct dissolution process of cellulose wood pulp or other cellulose-based feedstock in a polar solvent (for example N-methylmorpholine N-oxide [NMMO, NMO] or ionic liquids).
  • a polar solvent for example N-methylmorpholine N-oxide [NMMO, NMO] or ionic liquids.
  • NMMO, NMO N-methylmorpholine N-oxide
  • ionic liquids for example N-methylmorpholine N-oxide [NMMO, NMO] or ionic liquids.
  • the technology is used to produce a family of cellulose staple fibers (commercially available from Lenzing AG, Lenzing, Austria under the trademark TENCEL® or TENCELTM) which are widely used in the textile and nonwoven industry.
  • Other cellulose bodies from lyocell technology have also been produced.
  • the solution of cellulose is extruded in a so called dry-wet-spinning process by means of a forming tool and the molded solution is guided for example over an air gap into a precipitation bath, where the molded body is obtained by precipitation of the cellulose.
  • the molding is washed and optionally dried after further treatment steps.
  • Such lyocell fibers are well known in the art and the general methodology to produce same is for example disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,221 and its analytics in the BISFA (The International Bureau for the Standardization of Man-Made Fibers) publication “ Terminology of Man - Made Fibers”, 2009 edition. Both references are included herewith in their entirety by reference.
  • BISFA The International Bureau for the Standardization of Man-Made Fibers
  • lyocell fiber as employed herein defines a fiber obtained by this process, as it has been found that fibers in accordance with the present invention differ greatly from fibers for example obtained from a melt blown process, even if using a direct dissolution process of cellulose wood pulp or other cellulose-based feedstock in a polar solvent (for example N-methylmorpholine N-oxide [NMMO, NMO] or ionic liquids) in order to produce the starting material.
  • a polar solvent for example N-methylmorpholine N-oxide [NMMO, NMO] or ionic liquids
  • hemicelluloses refers to materials known to the skilled person which are present in wood and other cellulosic raw material such as annual plants, i.e. the raw material from which cellulose typically is obtained. Hemicelluloses are present in wood and other plants in form of branched short chain polysaccharides built up by pentoses and/or hexoses (C5 and/or C6-sugar units). The main building blocks are mannose, xylose, glucose, rhamnose and galactose. The backbone of the polysaccharides can consist of only one unit (f.e. xylan) or of two or more units (e.g. mannan).
  • hemicelluloses as known by the skilled person and as employed herein comprises hemicelluloses in its native state, hemicelluloses degraded by ordinary processing and hemicelluloses chemically modified by special process steps (e. g. derivatization) as well as short chain celluloses and other short chain polysaccharides with a degree of polymerization (DP) of up to 500.
  • DP degree of polymerization
  • the pulps preferably employed in the present invention do show as outlined herein a high content of hemicelluloses. Compared with the standard low hemicellulose content pulp employed for the preparation of standard lyocell fibers the preferred pulps employed in accordance with the present invention do show also other differences, which are outlined below.
  • the pulps as employed herein display a fluffier appearance, which results after milling (during preparation of starting materials for the formation of spinning solutions for the lyocell process), in the presence of a high proportion of larger particles.
  • the bulk density is much lower, compared with standard pulps having a low hemicellulose content.
  • This low bulk density requires adaptions in the dosage parameters (f.e. dosage from at least 2 storage devices).
  • the pulps employed in accordance with the present invention are more difficult to impregnate with NMMO. This can be seen by evaluating the impregnating behavior according to the Cobb evaluation.
  • the pulp employed for the preparation of the lyocell products, preferably fibers, as described herein has a scan viscosity in the range of from 300-440 ml/g, especially 320-420 ml/g, more preferably 320 to 400 ml/g.
  • the scan viscosity is determined in accordance with SCAN-CM 15:99 in a cupriethylenediamine solution, a methodology which is known to the skilled person and which can be carried out on commercially available devices, such as the device Auto PuIpIVA PSLRheotek available from psl-rheotek.
  • the scan viscosity is an important parameter influencing in particular processing of the pulp to prepare spinning solutions.
  • lyocell process and lyocell technology relate to a direct dissolution process of cellulose wood pulp or other cellulose-based feedstock in a polar solvent (for example N-methylmorpholine N-oxide [NMMO, NMO] or ionic liquids).
  • a polar solvent for example N-methylmorpholine N-oxide [NMMO, NMO] or ionic liquids.
  • the technology is used to produce a family of cellulose staple fibers (commercially available from Lenzing AG, Lenzing, Austria under the trademark TENCEL® or TENCELTM) which are widely used in the textile and nonwoven industry.
  • Other cellulose bodies from lyocell technology have also been produced.
  • the solution of cellulose is usually extruded in a so called dry-wet-spinning process by means of a forming tool and the molded solution gets for example over an air gap into a precipitation bath, where the molded body is obtained by precipitation of the cellulose.
  • the molding is washed and optionally dried after further treatment steps.
  • a process for production of lyocell fibers is described, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,221, WO 93/19230, W095/02082 or W097/38153.
  • the task mentioned above was solved by lyocell fibers with enhanced fibrillation tendencies, which were produced without any chemical pre-treatment.
  • the chemical pre-treatment step weakens the fiber properties (working capacity) on the one hand and adds cost to the fiber production on the other hand.
  • the fiber in accordance with the present invention shows well-balanced fibrillation dynamics between standard lyocell fibers and fast fibrillated fibers obtained with additional chemical pre-treatments. Accordingly, the lyocell fiber in accordance with the present invention avoids the need for chemical pre-treatment whilst achieving fast fibrillation.
  • Standard lyocell fibers are currently commercially produced from high quality wood pulps with high a-cellulose content and low non-cellulose contents such as hemicelluloses.
  • Commercially available lyocell fibers such as TENCELTM fibers produced from Lenzing AG, show excellent fiber properties for non-wovens and textile applications.
  • these lyocell fibers are chemically pre-treated using f.e. mineral acids or bleaching reagents. By this chemical treatment the fiber properties are weakened drastically and the working capacity decreases.
  • the present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the state of the art by providing lyocell fibers as described herein.
  • these are produced from hemicellulose-rich pulps with a hemicelluloses content of at least 7 wt.-%.
  • hemicellulose-rich pulps with a hemicelluloses content of at least 7 wt.-%.
  • hemicellulose-rich pulps with a hemicelluloses content of at least 7 wt.-%.
  • the present invention surprisingly achieves the tasks as outlined above while using a cellulose based raw material with a higher hemicelluloses content, as compared for standard lyocell fibers. Since the present invention does not require the use of chemical pre-treatments to achieve the desired fibrillation the decrease in mechanical fiber properties associated with the prior art can be overcome.
  • the fibrillation tendencies of the fibers are analyzed according to ISO 5267-1:1999—determination of drainage—Part 1: Schopper-Riegler (SR) method.
  • the SR method provides a degree of drainage velocity of a diluted cellulose fiber suspension.
  • the present invention provides fibers with completely different properties as with the higher hemicelluloses content the fibrillation tendency increases drastically.
  • One possible explanation for these contrasting findings may be the fact that the fibers in accordance with the present invention are fibers produced using large scale production equipment, while the fibers described in the paper by Zhang et al are produced with lab equipment not allowing the production of lyocell fibers in commercial quality (as for example drawing ratios, production velocities and after treatment do not reflect scale-up qualities).
  • the fibers, not being produced with sufficient drawing and a sufficient after-treatment therefore show different structure and properties compared to the fibers produced at production scale at titers reflecting market applications.
  • the fibers in accordance with the present invention were produced on a semi-commercial pilot plant ( ⁇ 1 kt/a) and a complete, commercial-like after-treatment of the fiber.
  • a straightforward scale-up from this production unit to a commercial unit (>30 kt/a) is feasible and reliable.
  • the hemicellulose content may be adjusted according to procedures known in the art.
  • the hemicellulose may be the hemicelluloses originating from the wood from which the pulp is obtained, it is however also possible to add individual hemicelluloses depending on the desired fiber properties from other sources to high purity cellulose with a low original hemicellulose content.
  • the addition of individual hemicelluloses may also be employed to adjust the composition of the hemicelluloses content, for example to adjust the ratio of hexoses to pentoses.
  • the pulp enabling the preparation of the fibers in accordance with the present invention preferably shows a ratio of C5/xylan to C6/mannan of from 125:1 to 1:3, preferably in the range of 25:1 to 1:2.
  • the hemicellulose content may be 7 wt.-% or more, preferable 10 wt.-% or more, more preferably 14 wt.-% or more and in embodiments up to 25 wt.-% or even 30 wt.-%.
  • the xylan content is 5 wt.-% or more, such as 8 wt.-% or more, and in embodiments 10 wt.-% or more.
  • the mannan content is 3 wt.-% or more, such as 5 wt.-% or more. In other embodiments the mannan content, preferably in combination with a high xylan content as defined above, may be 1 wt.-% or less, such as 0.2 wt.-% or 0.1 wt.-% or less.
  • the hemicelluloses content in the fibers of the present invention generally is higher, as compared to standard lyocell fibers. Suitable contents are 5 wt.-% or more and up to 30 wt.-%.
  • the fiber in accordance with the present invention shows a ratio of C5/xylan to C6/mannan of from 125:1 to 1:3, preferably in the range of 25:1 to 1:2.
  • the xylan and/or mannan content the above provided embodiments described in relation with the pulp are applicable also for the fiber as such.
  • the fibers in accordance with the present invention typically have a titer of 9 dtex or less, such as 3.3 dtex or less, such as 2.2 dtex, depending on the desired application. If the fiber is intended to be used in non-woven applications a titer of 1.3 or higher such as 1.7 dtex typically is suitable. However, the present invention also covers fibers with much lower titers, with suitable lower limits for titers being 0.5 dtex or higher, such as 0.8 dtex or higher, and in embodiments 1.3 dtex or higher. These upper and lower values as disclosed here define ranges of from0.5 to 9 dtex, and including all further ranges formed by combining any one of the upper values with any one of the lower values.
  • the fiber in accordance with the present invention may be prepared using lyocell technology employing a solution of cellulose and a spinning process employing a precipitation bath according to standard lyocell processes, known to the skilled person. Furthermore, the fiber employed does not require any chemical pre-treatment known to enhance fibrillation tendencies, as the present invention achieves fibrillation to the required extend without such treatment, which typically decreases DP by several hundred units.
  • the fibers in accordance with the present invention may be employed for a variety of applications, such as the production of non-woven fabrics.
  • examples of products include tissues, wipes and speciality papers (f.e. filter applications) produced by wet-laid and/or air-laid techniques.
  • the fibers in accordance with the present invention may by employed as the only fiber of a desired product or they may be mixed with other types of fibers. The mixing ratio can depend from the desired end use. If for example a wipe with increased mechanical properties is desired the fibers in accordance with the present invention may be present in a higher amount, relative to other high fibrillation fibers according to the prior art, in order to secure the desired mechanical properties, while in other applications a lower relative amount of fibers of the present invention may be sufficient.
  • parameter values and ranges as defined herein in relation to fibers refer to properties determined with fibers derived from pulp and containing only additives, such as processing aids typically added to the dope as well as other additives, such as matting agents (TiO2, which often is added in amounts of 0.75 wt.-%), in a total amount of up to 1 wt.-% (based on fiber weight).
  • additives such as processing aids typically added to the dope as well as other additives, such as matting agents (TiO2, which often is added in amounts of 0.75 wt.-%), in a total amount of up to 1 wt.-% (based on fiber weight).
  • TiO2 matting agents
  • the unique and particular properties as reported herein are properties of the fibers as such, and not properties obtained by addition of particular additives and/or post spinning treatments (such as fibrillation improving treatments etc.).
  • the fibers as disclosed and claimed herein may comprise additives, such as inorganic fillers etc. in usual amounts as long as the presence of these additives has no detrimental effect on dope preparation and spinning operation.
  • additives such as inorganic fillers etc.
  • the type of such additives as well as the respective addition amounts are known to the skilled person.
  • lyocell standard The standard 1.7 dtex/4 mm lyocell fibers are commercially available as TENCELTM fibers from Lenzing AG (“lyocell standard”).
  • Lyocell fibers subjected to a chemical pre-treatment (“lyocell chemical fibrillation”) were produced as described in WO 2016065377.
  • a fiber tow with single titers of 1.7 dtex was impregnated with diluted sulfuric acid at room temperature with a liquor ratio 1:10 and afterwards pressed to ⁇ 200% moisture.
  • After-treatment of the fiber tow in a steamer for ⁇ 10 min allows application of water vapor under pressure.
  • the fiber bundle is washed acid-free, a soft-finish is applied, and the fibers are dried.
  • the dried fiber tow is cut into 4 mm shortcut fibers subsequently ending up with 1.7 dtex/4 mm “lyocell chemical fibrillation” fibers.
  • “Lyocell increased fibrillation” fibers were produced from a hemicellulose-rich pulp with a hemicelluloses content of >10% (xylan, mannan, arabinan, . . . ), yielding after post-spinning treatment 1.7 dtex/4 mm “lyocell increased fibrillation” fibers.
  • the 3 different fiber types were refined in an Andritz Laboratory plant 12-1C plate refiner (NFB, SO1-218238) at a starting concentration of 6 g/I, 1400 rpm and 172 l/min flow rate.
  • the gap was fixed at 1 mm.
  • FIG. 1 The refining results are illustrated in FIG. 1 . It can be seen that lyocell increased fibrillation and lyocell chemical fibrillation fibers fibrillate at a significant higher rate compared to lyocell standard fibers, meaning a decrease in time- and energy effort. The lyocell increased fibrillation fiber however showed a slower increase in fibrillation than the chemical fibrillation fibers.
  • both types of fibers show a high fibrillation tendency.
  • both types of fibers require a time of less than 60 minutes.
  • the chemical treatment also has a detrimental effect on the fiber properties as the working capacity is lowered significantly to about 60% of its initial value.
  • the fiber in accordance with the present invention only shows, if at all, a minor decrease in working capacity thereby proving the superiority of the lyocell increased fibrillation fiber of the present invention.
  • the fibers are produced according to example 1 with a cutting length of 38 mm.
  • the nonwoven fibers (NW) are incorporated with 0,75% TiO2 as a dulling agent.
  • the composition of the hemicellulose-rich pulp used to produce the lyocell increased fibrillation II is shown in table 3. The results again confirm that in accordance with the present invention lyocell fibers are obtained with an increased tendency to fibrillate, without need for a chemical treatment and without the detrimental effects associated in the prior art with such treatments.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Artificial Filaments (AREA)
  • Paper (AREA)
  • Multicomponent Fibers (AREA)
  • Nonwoven Fabrics (AREA)
US16/978,220 2018-03-06 2019-03-06 Lyocell fiber with increased tendency to fibrillate Abandoned US20210010163A1 (en)

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EP18160137.8 2018-03-06
EP18160137.8A EP3536851A1 (en) 2018-03-06 2018-03-06 Lyocell fiber with increased tendency to fibrillate
PCT/EP2019/055549 WO2019170732A1 (en) 2018-03-06 2019-03-06 Lyocell fiber with increased tendency to fibrillate

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US20210002802A1 (en) * 2018-03-06 2021-01-07 Lenzing Aktiengesellschaft Lyocell fiber with viscose like properties
JP2023133877A (ja) * 2022-03-14 2023-09-27 三菱製紙株式会社 電気化学デバイスセパレータ及び電気デバイス
CN119640425A (zh) * 2024-12-27 2025-03-18 南京金羚生物基纤维有限公司 一种用废胶半纤维素制备高原纤化莱赛尔纤维的方法

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EP3762536A1 (en) 2021-01-13
EP3536851A1 (en) 2019-09-11
WO2019170732A1 (en) 2019-09-12
ES2989816T3 (es) 2024-11-27
FI3762536T3 (fi) 2024-07-18
EP3762536B1 (en) 2024-05-01
TWI767110B (zh) 2022-06-11

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