Characterisation of novel regenerated cellulosic, viscose, and cotton fibres and the dyeing properties of fabrics

There is a global demand for constant increase in the production of textile fibres. Currently, the market for cellulosic fibres is dominated by cotton and viscose fibres. However, new alternative cellulosic fibres are being sought to meet the growing demand. The dyeing properties of novel fibres aiming at the marketplace are among the properties that determine their applicability to textiles. Recently, a novel process for producing cellulosic fibres, the Biocelsol process, has been scaled up so that the spinning of yarn from Biocelsol fibres is now possible. In this study, the reactive dye Levafix CA Blue was applied to cellulosic fabrics made from viscose, cotton, and Biocelsol yarns. The crystalline structure and morphology of the fibres were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The crystalline structure and morphology of the Biocelsol fibres resembled those of viscose fibres, but, owing to higher water absorption, the Biocelsol fabric had a higher dye exhaustion. The colour yield of the Biocelsol fabric was 62% and 41% higher than that of cotton and viscose fabrics respectively, suggesting that less dye is needed to gain a shade in Biocelsol fabric than in viscose and cotton fabrics.