Viscosity processes

Its early commercial success owed much to the flammabUity disadvantages of the Chardoimet process, but competition from the viscose process led to its decline for aU but the finest filament products. The process is stiU used, most notably by Asahi in Japan where sales of artificial sHk and medical disposable fabrics provide a worthwhile income. However, its relatively high cost, associated with the cotton fiber starting point, prevented it from reaching the large scale of manufacture achieved by the viscose rayon process. 

The acquisition of the rights to the viscose process became one of the most profitable investments of aU time. Interest in the new fiber was intense, and growth of production capacity was exponential. By 1907, the Courtauld company was selling aU the artificial sHk it could produce and proceeded to expand into the U.S. market. In 1910 they formed the American Viscose Co. and in 1911 started the first U.S. viscose factory at Marcus Hook. By 1939, Courtaulds had six factories in the United States, seven in the United Kingdom, one in Erance, one in Canada, and joint ventures in Germany and Italy. 

Approximately 2.5 million t of viscose process regenerated ceUulose fibers were produced in 1990 (Table 1). Measured by production capacity in 1990, the leading producers of filament yams in 1990 were the Soviet Union state-owned factories (255,000 t capacity) and Akzo Fibres in Europe (100,000 t). The leading producers of staple fiber and tow were Courtaulds with 180,000 t capacity spUt between the UK and North America Formosa Chemicals and Fibres Co. with 150,000 t in Taiwan Tenzing with 125,000 t in Austria, and a 40% stake in South Pacific Viscose s 37,000 t Indonesian plant and Grasim Industries in India (125,000 t). BASF s U.S. capacity of 50,000 t was acquired by Tenzing in 1992. 

CeUulose is the most abundant polymer, an estimated 10 t being produced aimuaUy by natural processes. SuppUes for the rayon industry can be obtained from many sources, but in practice, the wood-pulping processes used to supply the needs of the paper and board industries have been adapted to make the necessary speciaUy pure grade. Of the 3 x 10 t of wood used by the paper and board industry (13) in 1989, about 6 x 10 t were purified to provide the 2.5 x 10 t of dissolving pulp required by the viscose processes. 

The flow diagram for the viscose process is given in Figure 2. The sequence of reactions necessary to convert cellulose into its xanthate and dissolve it in soda used to be performed batchwise. Fully continuous processes, or mixtures of batch and continuous process stages, are more appropriate for high volume regular viscose staple production. 

Xanthation. The viscose process is based on the ready solubiUty of the xanthate derivative of ceUulose in dilute sodium hydroxide. The reaction between alkaU ceUulose and carbon disulfide must therefore be as uniform as possible to avoid problems with incompletely dissolved pulp fibers that wUl later have to be filtered out of the viscous solution. 

Carbon disulfide [75-15-0] is a clear colorless liquid that boils at 46°C, and should ideally be free of hydrogen sulfide and carbonyl sulfide. The reaction with alkaU cellulose is carried out either in a few large cylindrical vessels known as wet chums, or in many smaller hexagonal vessels known as dry chums. In the fully continuous viscose process, a Continuous Belt Xanthator, first developed by Du Pont, is used (15). 

Modified Viscose Processes. The need for ever stronger yams resulted in the first important theme of modified rayon development and culminated, technically if not commercially, ia the 0.88 N/tex (10 gf/den) high wet modulus iadustrial yam process. 

AUoys of ceUulose with up to 50% of synthetic polymers (polyethylene, poly(vinyl chloride), polystyrene, polytetrafluoroethylene) have also been made, but have never found commercial appUcations. In fact, any material that can survive the chemistry of the viscose process and can be obtained in particle sizes of less than 5 p.m can be aUoyed with viscose. 

The Courtaulds Tencel Process. The increasing costs of reducing the environmental impact of the viscose process coupled with the increasing likelihood that the newer cellulose solvents would be capable of yielding a commercially viable fiber process led Courtaulds Research to embark on a systematic search for a new fiber process in the late 1970s. 

Several solvents, such as cupriethylenediamine (cuen) hydroxide [111274-71 -6] depend on the formation of metal—ion complexes with ceUulose. Although not as widespread in use as the viscose process, cuen and its relatives with different metals and ammonium hydroxide find substantial industrial use (87). The cadmium complex Cadoxen is the solvent of choice in laboratory work (91). 

Reaction of alkali cellulose with carbon disulphide to produce a cellulose xanthate which forms a lyophilic sol with caustic soda. This may be extruded into a coagulating bath containing sulphate ions which hydrolyses the xanthate back to cellulose. This process is known as the viscose process and is that used in the manufacture of rayon. 

By modification of the viscose process a regenerated cellulose foil may be produced which is known under the familiar trade name Cellophane. 

Viskose-kiinstseide, /. viscose rayon, -ver-fahren, n. viscose process. 

The rheological behavior of xylans has rarely been investigated [4,114,115]. The water-insoluble hemicellulose from the viscose process (containing > 85% xylan) was reported to form thixotropic aqueous dispersions of high... 

Xylans from beech wood, corncobs, and the alkaline steeping liquor of the viscose process have been shown to be applicable as pharmaceutical auxiliaries [3]. Micro- and nanoparticles were prepared by a coacervation method from xylan isolated from corncobs [150]. The process is based on neutralization of an alkaline solution in the presence of surfactant, which was shown to influence both the particle size and morphology. They are aimed at applications in drug delivery systems. 

Carbacell [Carbamate cellulose] A process for making rayon filament and staple fibre. Cellulose is reacted with urea in an inert organic solvent at a high temperature to yield cellulose carbamate. This process avoids the environmental problems caused by carbon disulfide in the viscose process. Developed by Zimmer in the 1990s and piloted in Germany and Poland. Commercialization is expected by 1999. 

SINI Also known as the Double Steeping process. A variation of the viscose process for making regenerated cellulose fibers, in which the treatment with sodium hydroxide is done in two stages, at different concentrations. Invented by H. Sihtola, around 1976. 

Sulfosorbon A process for removing hydrogen sulfide and carbon disulfide from the gaseous effluent from the Viscose process. Offered by Luigi. 

Ethoxylated fats/oils, 24 150 Ethoxylated fatty acids, in modified viscose processes, 11 259... 

Fiber disposal, viscose process and, 11 279 Fiber draw tower, 11 143 Fiber drum and can packaging, converting, 18 22... 

Cellulose is sometimes used in its original or native form as fibers for textile and paper, but is often modified through dissolving and reprecipitation or through chemical reaction. The xanthate viscose process, which is used for the production of rayon and cellophane, is the most widely used regeneration process. The cellulose obtained by the removal of lignin from wood pulp is converted to alkali cellulose. The addition of carbon disulfide to the latter produces cellulose xanthate. 

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