Fibers: acetate

The use of 2-aminothiazole derivatives as dyeing compounds is direct related to the development of synthetic fibers. Some typical examples are given in Table VI-14. The importance of these dyes lies in their performance on acetate fibers. They have excellent fastness to gas fumes, produce a bright blue shade, and have a high tinctorial strength. Their only disadvantage is their relatively low light fastness, which does limit their application. 

Dyes with good wet. light, and sublimation fastness for polyesters, nylon, and acetate fibers... 

Dyes for dyeing and printing polyester and cellulose acetate fibers fast blue and red shades... 

Dyes for polyesters or cellulose acetate fiber-, deep blue to greenish blue shades... 

Most of the acetic acid is produced in the United States, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, France, Canada, and Mexico. Total annual production in these countries is close to four million tons. Uses include the manufacture of vinyl acetate [108-05-4] and acetic anhydride [108-24-7]. Vinyl acetate is used to make latex emulsion resins for paints, adhesives, paper coatings, and textile finishing agents. Acetic anhydride is used in making cellulose acetate fibers, cigarette filter tow, and ceUulosic plastics. 

Eastman Goal Chemicals. In 1983 Eastman Chemical Co. became the first chemical producer in the United States to return to coal as a raw material for large-scale manufacture of industrial chemicals (35). In that year, Eastman started manufacturing acetic anhydride from coal. Acetic anhydride is a key intermediate for production of coatings, ceUulosic plastics, and cellulose acetate fibers. Acetic anhydride from other sources also is used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, starches and sweeteners, and flavors and fragrances. 

The elongation of a stretched fiber is best described as a combination of instantaneous extension and a time-dependent extension or creep. This viscoelastic behavior is common to many textile fibers, including acetate. Conversely, recovery of viscoelastic fibers is typically described as a combination of immediate elastic recovery, delayed recovery, and permanent set or secondary creep. The permanent set is the residual extension that is not recoverable. These three components of recovery for acetate are given in Table 1 (4). The elastic recovery of acetate fibers alone and in blends has also been reported (5). In textile processing strains of more than 10% are avoided in order to produce a fabric of acceptable dimensional or shape stabiUty. 

Refractive Index. The refractive index parallel to the fiber axis (s) is 1.478 for acetate and 1.472 for triacetate. The index perpendicular to the axis (co) is 1.473 for acetate and 1.471 for triacetate. The birefringence, ie, the difference between S and CO, is very low for acetate fiber and practically undetectable for triacetate. 

Fig. 13. Cross sections of cellulose acetate fiber from (a) circular and (b) triangular spinneret holes.

For staple, the heat-treated filaments in the form of tow are cut to prescribed lengths and then acetalized to develop crimp on individual cut fibers. A suitable finish is selected from conventional ones and appHed to the acetalized fibers to improve their spinnabiUty and other properties required for the intended use. 

Originally, the word rayon was appHed to any ceUulose-based man-made fiber, and therefore included the cellulose acetate fibers. However, the definition of rayon was clarified in 1951 and includes textiles fibers and filaments composed of regenerated cellulose and excludes acetate. In Europe the fibers are now generally known as viscose the term viscose rayon is used whenever confusion between the fiber and the cellulose xanthate solution (also called viscose) is possible. 

One report (13) describes the procedure for spinning dry asymmetric ceUulose acetate fiber with a bore skin. Such fibers are spun in a modified dry-spinning process in which a volatile Uquid (methyl formate) is used as the ceUulose acetate solvent. The bore coagulating Uquid is isopropyl alcohol, which is subsequentiy removed. The advantages of these dry fibers over most ceUulose acetate membranes are that they can be stored dry, they are wet-dry reversible, they can be sterilized and packed dry, and they are ready for use without removal of preservatives. 

Acetic Acid. Methanol carbonylation has become the process of choice for production of this staple of the organic chemical industry, which is used in the manufacture of acetate fibers, acetic anhydride [108-24-7] and terephthaUc acid, and for fermentation (see Acetic acid and derivatives). 

Phloroglucinol is Hsted in the Colourindex as Cl Developer 19. It is particularly valuable in the dyeing of acetate fiber but also has been used as a coupler for azoic colors in viscose, Odon, cotton (qv), rayon, or nylon fibers, or in union fabrics containing these fibers (157). For example, cellulose acetate fabric is treated with an aromatic amine such as (9-dianisidine or a disperse dye such as A-hydroxyphenylazo-2-naphthylamine and the amine diazotizes on the fiber the fabric is then rinsed, freed of excess nitrite, and the azo color is developed in a phloroglucinol bath at pH 5—7. Depending on the diazo precursor used, intense blue to jet-black shades can be obtained with excellent light-, bleach-, and mbfastness. 

Phenylenediamines are used in a variety of other appHcations, such as corrosion inhibitors, cross-linking agents for epoxy resins, toners for electrostatic image development (35), and to improve wrinkle resistance of cellulose acetate fibers (36). 

Oxidation has also been cited as occurring in the cure of polymethyUiydrosiloxane [9004-73-3] (PMHS) on cellulose acetate fibers. Investigation of the cured, cross-linked siUcone shows no evidence of the Si—H bond. The same compound under an atmosphere of nitrogen does not cure and retains the Si—H bonds (99). 

Although 600 m of water is used to make a metric ton of fertilizer, 150—240 m to make a tonne of steel, 480 m to make a tonne of gasoline, and 1000 m to make a tonne of acetate fiber, Htde if any is required chemically in any of these processes. Recycling can reduce industrial requirements by a factor of 10—50. Much of this water, particularly that for cooling, and often that for washing, can be saline. Some petroleum refiners have used salt water to remove heat (water s principal role in gasoline production), and some have actually produced table salt by evaporation in cooling towers. 

With the renewed interest in environmentally friendly products, ceUulose esters are being re-evaluated as a natural source of biodegradable thermoplastics. CeUulose acetates are potentiaUy biodegradable (152). Films prepared from a ceUulose acetate with a DS of 2.5 were shown to require only a 10—12 day incubation period for extensive degradation in an in vitro enrichment assay. Similarly, films prepared from a ceUulose acetate with a DS of 1.7 saw 70% degradation in 27 days in a wastewater treatment facUity, whereas films prepared from a ceUulose acetate with a DS of 2.5 required approximately 10 weeks for similar degradation to occur. The results of this work demonstrate that ceUulose acetate fibers and films are potentiaUy environmentally nonpersistant. 

The appearance of synthetic fibers in the 1920s accelerated the further development of anthraquinone dyes. Soon after British Celanese succeeded in commerciali2ing cellulose acetate fiber in 1921, anthraquinone disperse dyes for this fiber were invented by Stepherdson (British Dyestuffs Corp.) and Celatenes (Scottish Dyes) independendy. Anthraquinone disperse dyes for polyester fiber were developed after the introduction of this fiber by ICI and Du Pont in 1952. These dyes were improved products of the disperse dyes that had been developed for cellulose acetate fiber 30 years before. 

In 1923, the first disperse dye was developed for dyeing cellulose acetate fibers. However, in recent years the most important appHcation of disperse dyes has been to dye polyester fibers. Accompanied by the rapid growth of polyester fibers after World War II, disperse dyes have currendy achieved the largest production among all dye classes in terms of quantity (106). 

Acetate fibers are dyed usually with disperse dyes specially synthesized for these fibers. They tend to have lower molecular size (low and medium energy dyes) and contain polar groups presumably to enhance the forces of attraction by hydrogen bonding with the numerous potential sites in the cellulose acetate polymer (see Fibers cellulose esters). Other dyes can be appHed to acetates such as acid dyes with selected solvents, and azoic or ingrain dyes can be apphed especially for black colorants. However thek use is very limited. 

Acetic acid is a versatile reagent. It is an important esterifying agent for the manufacture of cellulose acetate (for acetate fibers and lacquers), vinyl acetate monomer, and ethyl and butyl acetates. Acetic acid is used to produce pharmaceuticals, insecticides, and dyes. It is also a precursor for chloroacetic acid and acetic anhydride. The 1994 U.S. production of acetic acid was approximately 4 billion pounds. 

A process for the production of cellulose acetate fiber produces a waste stream containing mainly air but with a small quantity of acetone vapor. The flowrate of air is 300 kmol h-1 and that of acetone is 4.5 kmolh-1. It is proposed to recover the acetone from the air by absorption into water followed by distillation of the acetone-water mixture. The absorber requires a flow of water 2.8 times that of the air. 

The process flowsheet for a cellulose acetate fibers process is shown in Figure 19.12. Solvent is removed from the fibers in a dryer by recirculating air. The air is cooled before it enters an absorber where the solvent is absorbed in water. The solvent-water mixture is separated in a distillation column and... 

Figure 19.12 Flowsheet of a process for the manufacture of cellulose acetate fiber.

Acetate A general name for processes for making cellulose acetate fibers. Cellulose is acetylated, dissolved in acetone, and spun into fibers by injecting through orifices into heated chambers. Cellulose mono-acetate is made by acetylating with a mixture of acetic acid, acetic anhydride, and sulfuric acid as the catalyst. Cellulose tri-acetate is made in a similar fashion, but using perchloric acid as the catalyst, and dry-spinning from a solution in ethanol/ methylene chloride. Cellulose tri-acetate fibers were first made commercially by Courtaulds in London in 1950. 

Drying equipment, 10 154 Drying gases, commercial gas absorption process for cellulose acetate fiber production, l 26t Drying index, 9 144 Drying mechanisms, 9 102-116. 

The textiles printing industry has an appreciable interest in P.Y.17 and applies it in the form of pigment preparations. Where its fastness properties satisfy the specifications and where the use requirements are not too demanding, the pigment is also utilized for spin dyeing purposes. Manufacturer recommendations include media such as polyacrylonitrile and cellulose acetate fibers, on which 1/3 SD pigment prints exhibit a lightfastness which is equal to step 5 on the Blue Scale. 

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