Difference between revisions of "Lyocell"

Revision as of 04:17, 17 October 2012

Lyocell is a regenerated (artificial fiber). Tencell is the most common commercial name of lyocell. It is produced from the same raw material as viscose but with chemicals that are more gentel from a environmental aspect. It is a relatively new fiber that can be assigned a variety of looks and features, all from silk to cotton-like. The fiber is strong and durable to wash with little risk of shrinkage.

Background

In 1991 Lyocell was introduced on the international market under the brand name Tencel and was classified as a type of artificial silk but The Federal Trade Commission designated, in 1996, Lyocell fibers as a separate fiber group, the first in 30 years. In May 2004, Lenzing who previously sold Lyocell under the name of Lenzing Lyocell, took over Tencel and is now the leading producer in the market.

Production

Lyocell is made of cellulose, which is the main product in plant cells. Fiber production is environmentally friendly in comparison to the production of modal and viscose that requires environmentally hazardous chemicals including caustic soda, carbon disulphide and sulfuric acid. Moreover, the material is as well as modal and viscose, 100% biodegradable. The production process is relatively simple because the substance (pulp) can be easily resolved from the fiber because it is readily soluble in water. The steps in the process are as follows: firstly one mix the pulp with the amine oxide which is then dissolved with no chemical reaction thereof, forming a viscous mass. This is later filtered and the amine oxide is spun out and is purified to the degree that about 99% can be reused. Thereafter, the fibers are washed and dried.

Properties

Characteristic for Lyocell is that it is durable to washing and the risk of shrinkage is unlikely. It also has very good properties with regard to moisture or moisture permeation. Thanks to these moisture properties it is comfortable to use. In addition to comfort and absorption the finished fabric have comfortable grip and softness, nice flow and a silky shine. Color absorption is good even if this requires special paints and work and is one of the reasons that the price level is a little higher than similar fibers.

Areas of use

There are many different ways where Lyocell is used making it what could be called an all-around fabric. You can prepare material in many different ways, for example: giving it a woolly or silky feel. This is done by allowing people to control the fibrillation. You can also get Tencel ® (lyocell lenzinger) in a non-fibrillated variant which is called: Tencel ® LF and Tencel A100 ®.

As staple fiber, Lyocell is used in denim, lingerie and even towels. These types of products have a more silky feel and are used instead of filaments. The most common version of Lyocell is a cotton-type with 38 mm stroke length. Lyocell is easy to mix with other fibers such as Cotton, this blend provides improved properties such as strength and luster, and a mixture with wool provides more absorption of moisture. Typical products of these materials are blouses, dresses, shirts and skirts often with denim or chambray structure. Moreover soft furnishings such as bedding and filling material for mattresses and blankets are common uses. In addition, it is used as nonwowens to faux leather, filters, hygiene products, cosmetic and medical products.

Producers

There are a few different producers of Lyocell fiber and the largest, Lenzing AG, produces under the name Tencel Lyocell. In addition, the company Hanil Synthetic fiber Co., Ltd. produces the Lyocell under the name of Hanil Lyocell ® other countries that hold tests on Lyocell productionare Germany, India and China.