Cellulose Fibre – A Comprehensive Guide

Cellulose fibres LCM are special kind of fibres which are made out of the ethers of cellulose. It is usually obtained from sources like the bark of the tree, wood and leaves of plants. In other words, it can be said that cellulose fibre is entirely made from various plant-based material. Apart from cellulose, these fibres may sometimes even contain substances like hemicellulose, lignin, etc. The presence of these components in varied percentage leads to the change in the mechanical property of the cellulose fibre.

These specially made fibres are used in various applications, especially in the textile industries. It is used as a chemical filter and as the most perfect finer reinforcement composite. It is because the properties of the cellulose fibres are quite similar to the properties of the engineered fibre. It is also considered as the most popular source of biocomposites and the polymer-based composites.

As per the cellulose fibre LCM Manufacturer, cellulose can be seen as a polymer which is made up of glucose molecules. These molecules are attached in a chain-like structure. Well, a cellulose molecule can have a length ranging between several hundred and thousands of glucose units.

In terms of form, the structure of cellulose is quite similar to the structure of various complex carbohydrates like starch and glycogen. However, the pattern according to which the molecules are attached in both these components are quite different. Where cellulose has a chain-like structure, complex carbohydrate owns a coiled molecular structure.

There are two types of cellulose fibres, namely, the naturally occurring fibre and manufactured fibre. The natural cellulose fibre is extracted from a plant and then processed as per requirements. The cotton fibres are soft and fluffy while the linen fibres consist of strong strands of flax. These natural fibres undergo a series of processes.

They are first separated from the plant through the process known as harvesting. After that, the chaff and scouring are removed. After harvesting, the fibres are pit into interaction with water and another such solvent. However, dues to the mechanical strength of these fibres, they are not soluble with water. This step helps in increasing the strength of the fibre. The fibres are processed and then manufactured as per requirements.

Coming to the second type of cellulose fibre, these manufactured fibres are made from plants of different species. They are processed to form a pulp and then manufactured in a series of processes through which synthetic fibres are made. The most commonly used material to manufacture cellulose fibre is rayon. It is usually made out of the wood pulp through processing.

The response of the cellulose fibres changes to the mechanical stresses based on the fibre type and the chemical structure of that fibre. These fibres are not soluble in water and other such solvents due to its mechanical strength.