Cellulose fibers: Trends in production and applications

Abstract

The paper gives an overview of the current state in the field of natural and chemical cellulose fibers, as well as future prospects of these fibers. While there is a strong expansion of the synthetic fibers industry, world production and consumption of natural and chemical cellulosic fibers were stabilized at certain level with small oscillation in the last few years. Cotton production reaches average level at 25 mil.ton, flax production at 0.8 mil. ton, hemp production at 0.07 mil.ton and jute production at 3.3 mil.ton, while chemical cellulosic fiber production reaches average level at 6 mil.ton. It is expected that cellulose fibers only for clothing, will be in demand up to 40 mil.ton in the year 2050 due to growing market of hydrophylic fibers and tendency to develop production of natural, light, renewable and biodegradable fibers. In this regard, bast fibers, such as flax, hemp, jute, ramie, etc., isolated from plants that cause little or no detrimental effect on the ecosystem, acquire enormous significance. Their modification and conversion into novel value-added products have been discussed.

U radu je prikazano sadašnje stanje u oblasti prirodnih i hemijskih celuloznih vlakana, kao i očekivanja vezana za ova vlakna. U poređenju sa ekspanzivnim razvojem sintetizovanih vlakana, svetska proizvodnja i potrošnja prirodnih i hemijskih celuloznih vlakana se stabilizovala na određenom nivou: proizvodnja pamuka oko 25 mil.tona, lana 0,8 mil.tona, konoplje oko 0,07 mil.tona, jute oko 3,3 mil.tona, a hemijskih celuloznih vlakana na nivou od oko 6 mil.tona. Očekuje se da će do 2050.god, zahvaljujući rastućem tržištu hidrofilnih vlakana i tendenciji ka razvoju proizvodnje lakih, prirodnih, obnovljivih i biorazgradivih vlakana, potrebe za ovim vlaknima, samo u oblasti odevnog tekstila, dostići nivo od oko 40 mil.tona. Posebno je analiziran potencijal vlakna iz like (lan, konoplja, juta, ramija), njihovo modifikovanje i konverzija u nove proizvode visoke dodate vrednosti, s obzirom da biljke iz kojih se ova vlakna izoluju, kao i sam proces njihove prerade, nemaju negativni uticaj na ekosistem.