Ioncell® technology for a green textile industry 

Fast fashion promotes the usage of low-cost and synthetic fibers such as polyster-based textiles, leading to the increase of global textile production. Unfortunately, vast majority of the produced textiles are remained unrecycled, thereby, adversely affecting the environment. Recent report suggests that synthetic garments are the major cause of microplastic accumulation in the oceans. Thus, textile industry requires ecofriendly and sustainable way of textile fiber production along with a recycling strategy. Ecofriendly textile production and textile waste recycling could be achieved by newly developed Ioncell® technology.

What is Ioncell Technology®

Ioncell technology® is based on a recyclable ionic liquid, which can dissolve cellulose-containing raw materials such as pulp, and subsequently, man-made cellulosic fibers could be obtained by dry-jet wet spinning. Highly orientated cellulose fibers with high tenacity are obtained by coagulation in cold-water bath. These staple fibers are further converted to yarn and applied in knitting and weaving process. Ioncell® process is a closed-loop process, which does not produce any waste or introduce any harmful chemical. Ioncell® fibers are biodegradable, respire well, feel soft, and are strong even when wet. During several years of development of the Ioncell-F process, we were able to develop the textile-fiber with superior toughness over commercially available cellulose textile fibers. As a test case for the cellulose-based ecofriendly textile production, we had produced Finnish First Lady Jenny Haukio’s Independence Day gala night dress in 2018, justifying the potential of Ioncell® technology for re-building and re-designing sustainable cellulose-based textile industry.

Toughness of cellulose fiber can be enhanced by optimizing process parameters
It was hypothesized that nozzles with a high length-to-diameter ratio of the cylindrical part could achieve a better spinning behavior and that the fiber produced from it would have a significantly higher toughness. Because, with the longer cylindrical channel a more homogeneous and dense structure is already pre-formed when entering the air-gap. Thus, more lateral contact points are formed which lead to a lateral clustering of the crystallites. Additionally, the use of selective pulp which contains less impurities also would contribute to higher mechanical properties. Based on this hypothesis, we have studied fiber properties via variation of spinneret aspect ratio, selection of pulp and use of different pulp concentration. My recent study demonstrated that Ioncell® fibers surpass any other existing cellulose fibers in quality and toughness, suggesting the potential applications of these fibers in workwear production, where higher toughness is required. In summary, Ioncell® technology has the potential to reduce world’s one of the biggest concerns ‘textile waste’ by ecofriendly recycling via closed-loop process and by producing biodegradable textiles.

Most Kaniz Moriam from Aalto University received an encouragement grant from Tekniikan edistämissäätiö for her PhD studies on May 2020. The title of the research project was 'Development of general routes for the functionalization of man-made cellulose fibers produced via the Lyocell process'.