CELLULOSE - ITS USE IN THE VISCOSE RAYON PROCESS AND IN SOME ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES (1989)

As the most abundantly available organic raw material in the world, new uses are constantly being found for cellulose. The viscose-rayon process is still widely used, but there have always been attempts to devise an alternative, preferably based on a solvent which dissolves the cellulose directly and can be easily recovered after spinning. The Newcell, DMAc/LiCl and Celca processes have all proved to yield more brittle fibres than the viscose-rayon method. The production of high tenacity, high modulus cellulose yarns by spinning anisotropic cellulose triacetate solutions followed by saponification to cellulose yarn is not a true alternative, since the yarn has much higher strength and modulus and lower elongation than conventional rayon. The super-cellulose yarns as yet produced are not suitable for commercial production.

Vollbracht L., Chemiefasern Text. Ind., Man-Made Fiber Year Book 1989, pp 32, 35-36