Lactic acid based thermoset were synthesised by reacting lactic acid with glycerol andfunctionalizing lactic acid branches by methacrylic anhydride. Resins with different chainlength were prepared and their thermo mechanical properties were examined through DMAanalysis and their molecular structures were analyzed by NMR method and their viscositywere investigated through rheometry analysis and three monomers were selected as the bestchain length. Degree of reaction in different reaction times was evaluated by a modifiedtitration method and bulk preparation of resin was performed by optimal process condition.DSC analysis was conducted in order to evaluate curing behaviour of resin with benzoylperoxide as cross-linking initiator. TGA analysis was performed to check thermo stability ofthe resin. Bio composites by viscose unidirectional and bidirectional knitted fabrics and alsonon woven viscose fiber with different fiber loads were prepared by ordinary hand layupimpregnation followed by compress moulding and their mechanical and thermo mechanicalproperties were characterized by tensile, flexural, charpy and DMA analysis and optimumfiber loads were identified for each fiber type. Ageing properties of prepared composites wereexamined by placing samples in climate chamber to simulate long time ageing and ageingexperiment was followed by tensile and flexural test to evaluate mechanical properties afterageing simulation. Composite`s swelling properties for water and some other solvents wereinvestigated and also their chemical resistance were evaluated by immersing them in 1M HCland KOH. The resin was also compared with a commercial oil based thermoset by preparingglass fiber reinforced composites and also effect of adding styrene to the resin were evaluated.Results of this work demonstrated that the novel synthesised have very high mechanical andthermo mechanical properties surpassing commercial oil based poly esters but ageingbehaviour is not very good however adding styrene can improve ageing properties. Also theresin is compatible with cellulosic natural fibers and forms strong composites. / Program: Masterutbildning i energi- och material

Cotton as a dominating natural fibre imparts a major contribution in the whole textile market including natural and artificial fibres. The demand of this cellulosic fibre is increasing rapidly day by day, on the other hand supply cannot fulfill its demand, and as a result price goes higher in world market. Now people are looking for alternatives to cotton in different applications. Viscose as cellulosic origin, the cheapest of all cellulosic fibres could be the best alternative. Viscose fibre exhibits some similar properties compared to cotton except its poor wet strength. In this thesis work different chemical finishes were applied to improve the wet strength of viscose fabric. For this purpose water repellent and soil release finishes were applied. Both water repellent and soil release finishes helped in reducing the molecular barrier around the individual fibres that lowered the surface tension of the fibre. It reduces the absorbency of viscose fibre hence leads to higher wet strength. Water repellent finish was applied alone as well as in combination with soil release finish. It was seen that viscose fibre exhibited better wet strength after applying water repellent and soil release finishes on it. This improved property of viscose could replace the cotton fibre in certain applications like bed linen. / Program: Magisterutbildning i textilteknologi

The purpose of this research was to evaluate and compare the performance, aesthetic and material properties of women’s t-shirts composed of three different sustainable fibers (lyocell, organic cotton, and viscose from bamboo) before and after repeated home laundering. A convenience sample was comprised of thirty-nine t-shirts. Thirteen black t-shirts from each fiber content were used for testing according to ASTM and AATCC standards. The evaluations and measurements were performed initially and after wash intervals one, five, ten, and twenty. The t-shirts were tested for fabric weight, fabric count, color fastness, smoothness appearance, pilling, dimensional stability and skewness.

<p>In conventional viscose manufacturing, a large amount of carbondisulfide is consumed. This amount has to be decreased to keep the production cost down and to reduce the environmental impact. The purpose with this work was to show if an enzyme treatment of a dissolving pulp could increase the degree of substitution in the viscose so that the amount of carbon disulfide consumed in the process could be decreased. Previous investigations by Kvarnlöf (2007), Engström et.al. (2006) and Henriksson et.al. (2005) has shown that the reactivity of a dissolving pulp (the cellulose raw material) increased when it was pre-treated with endoglucanase (enzyme). Kvarnlöf (2007) also showed that the amount of carbon disulfide that is needed to produce an ordinary viscose (in this work a more viscous viscose has been investigated) could be reduced with one third because of the enzyme treatment.</p><p> </p><p>In this thesis, viscose has been manufactured in a laboratory where the process has been adapted to look like the industrial as far as possible. Analyses were done on the viscose viscosity and degree of substitution. A reference curve was made with the percentage carbon disulfide load versus the viscose gamma number (degree of substitution). Then it was investigated how an enzyme treatment of the dissolving pulp affected the viscose. After the enzyme treatment, the manufacturing process for viscose was done in the exact same way as when the reference tests were done. The enzyme used in this thesis was Carezyme which contents endoglucanase. Then the results from the analyses of the viscose manufactured from enzyme treated dissolving pulp and the reference curve was compared. A positive result would have been that viscose manufactured with enzyme treatment gets a higher gamma number than viscose, with the same load of carbon disulfide, manufactured in the regular way.</p><p> </p><p>The results showed that the degree of substitution had no effect at all; the viscose that has been manufactured from enzyme treated dissolving pulp resulted in gamma numbers on or very close to the reference curve. The only effect that could be shown was a decrease in viscosity, which unfortunately was an unwanted effect. The enzyme treatment has also hampered the process, where shorter fibres among other things have given poorer dewatering properties. Analyses on the viscose manufactured in the laboratory showed that it didn't have the same characteristics as viscose manufactured in a plant.</p> / <p>I den konventionella tillverkningsprocessen för viskos förbrukas stora mängder koldisulfid. Denna mängd behöver minskas, både för att hålla nere produktionskostnaderna men också för att minska miljöpåverkan. Syftet med arbetet var att undersöka om en enzymbehandling av en dissolvingmassa kunde öka substitutionsgraden så att koldisulfid-förbrukningen skulle kunna minskas. Det har i flera tidigare undersökningar av Kvarnlöf (2007), Engström m.fl. (2006) och Henriksson m.fl. (2005) visats att reaktiviteten hos en dissolvingmassa (råvaran i viskosprocessen) ökar när den förbehandlats med endoglukanas (enzym). Kvarnlöf (2007) visade dessutom att mängden koldisulfid som behövdes för att tillverka spinnviskos (i detta examensarbete har en viskösare viskos undersökts) kunde minskas med en tredjedel tack vare enzymbehandlingen.</p><p> </p><p>I detta examensarbete har viskos tillverkats i laboratoriet där processen har anpassats så att den liknar den industriella så mycket som möjligt. Analyser gjordes på viskosens viskositet och substitutionsgrad. En referenskurva tillverkades där den procentuella koldisulfid-satsningen plottades mot viskosens gammatal (substitutionsgraden). Därefter undersöktes hur en enzymbehandling av dissolvingmassan påverkade den färdiga viskosen. Efter enzymbehandlingen av dissolvingmassan utfördes tillverkningsprocessen precis som vanligt för att man skulle kunna se effekterna av enzymet. Enzymet som användes i arbetet var enzympreparationen Carezyme som innehåller endoglukanas. Sedan jämfördes resultaten från analyserna av viskosen tillverkad från enzymbehandlad dissolvingmassa med referensvärdena. Ett positivt resultat hade varit att enzymbehandlad viskos hade ett högre gammatal än viskos tillverkad på vanligt sätt utan enzymförbehandling men med samma koldisulfidsats.</p><p> </p><p>Resultaten visar att substitutionsgraden inte har påverkats alls, dvs. den viskos som tillverkats från enzymbehandlad dissolvingmassa fick gammatal som låg på eller mycket nära referenskurvan. Den enda effekt av enzymet som kunde visas var en viskositetssänkning, vilket inte var något som eftersträvades. Processen har dessutom försvårats av enzymsteget, där kortare fibrer bl.a. gav sämre avvattningsegenskaper. Viskosanalyser har visat att viskosen som tillverkats på laboratoriet inte har samma egenskaper som viskos tillverkad på fabrik.</p>

Today’s market offers an ever-increasing range of cellulose pulps (derivative pulps) made fromvarious wood types through different delignification processes. Each pulp segment has its uniquecharacteristics, which makes it difficult for the producer of cellulose derivatives to choose the mostsuitable pulp for optimum processability and product quality. The objective of this study was toimprove knowledge of cellulose pulps and to describe how different pulp properties affectprocessability and quality in the production of viscose dope and cellulose ethers.Ten pulp samples were investigated, originating from both sulfite and sulfate processes, with highand low viscosities and with softwood and hardwood as raw material. The pulps were analyzed fortheir properties and then processed to viscose dope and a cellulose ether in two separate pilotfacilities. The intermediates in the viscose process as well as the quality of the viscose dope andcellulose ether were analyzed and the results correlated to pulp properties.Multivariate regression methods were applied to investigate the dominating physical and chemicalproperties of each pulp and pulp segment, and to study the use of spectroscopic analyses inpredicting pulp origin, concentration and composition of hemicelluloses as well as the content ofreducing end groups in cellulose. For the production of viscose dope, the models presented showedthe most important pulp properties for good cellulose reactivity and viscose filterability. In addition,the properties affecting gel formation, flocculation, degree of substitution and clarity in theproduction of cellulose ether were highlighted. The study also emphasized the need to supplementthe use of conventional analyses on pulps and viscose intermediates with other analytical methods,such as molecular weight distribution and carbohydrate analysis, to better predict the quality ofboth viscose dope and viscose fiber.The results of the present study could be useful to predict the origin and properties of new pulps, toreplace or supplement otherwise expensive pulp analyses, and to assess the impact of pulpproperties on the production of cellulose derivatives without extensive pilot-scale trials.

In conventional viscose manufacturing, a large amount of carbondisulfide is consumed. This amount has to be decreased to keep the production cost down and to reduce the environmental impact. The purpose with this work was to show if an enzyme treatment of a dissolving pulp could increase the degree of substitution in the viscose so that the amount of carbon disulfide consumed in the process could be decreased. Previous investigations by Kvarnlöf (2007), Engström et.al. (2006) and Henriksson et.al. (2005) has shown that the reactivity of a dissolving pulp (the cellulose raw material) increased when it was pre-treated with endoglucanase (enzyme). Kvarnlöf (2007) also showed that the amount of carbon disulfide that is needed to produce an ordinary viscose (in this work a more viscous viscose has been investigated) could be reduced with one third because of the enzyme treatment.   In this thesis, viscose has been manufactured in a laboratory where the process has been adapted to look like the industrial as far as possible. Analyses were done on the viscose viscosity and degree of substitution. A reference curve was made with the percentage carbon disulfide load versus the viscose gamma number (degree of substitution). Then it was investigated how an enzyme treatment of the dissolving pulp affected the viscose. After the enzyme treatment, the manufacturing process for viscose was done in the exact same way as when the reference tests were done. The enzyme used in this thesis was Carezyme which contents endoglucanase. Then the results from the analyses of the viscose manufactured from enzyme treated dissolving pulp and the reference curve was compared. A positive result would have been that viscose manufactured with enzyme treatment gets a higher gamma number than viscose, with the same load of carbon disulfide, manufactured in the regular way.   The results showed that the degree of substitution had no effect at all; the viscose that has been manufactured from enzyme treated dissolving pulp resulted in gamma numbers on or very close to the reference curve. The only effect that could be shown was a decrease in viscosity, which unfortunately was an unwanted effect. The enzyme treatment has also hampered the process, where shorter fibres among other things have given poorer dewatering properties. Analyses on the viscose manufactured in the laboratory showed that it didn't have the same characteristics as viscose manufactured in a plant. / I den konventionella tillverkningsprocessen för viskos förbrukas stora mängder koldisulfid. Denna mängd behöver minskas, både för att hålla nere produktionskostnaderna men också för att minska miljöpåverkan. Syftet med arbetet var att undersöka om en enzymbehandling av en dissolvingmassa kunde öka substitutionsgraden så att koldisulfid-förbrukningen skulle kunna minskas. Det har i flera tidigare undersökningar av Kvarnlöf (2007), Engström m.fl. (2006) och Henriksson m.fl. (2005) visats att reaktiviteten hos en dissolvingmassa (råvaran i viskosprocessen) ökar när den förbehandlats med endoglukanas (enzym). Kvarnlöf (2007) visade dessutom att mängden koldisulfid som behövdes för att tillverka spinnviskos (i detta examensarbete har en viskösare viskos undersökts) kunde minskas med en tredjedel tack vare enzymbehandlingen.   I detta examensarbete har viskos tillverkats i laboratoriet där processen har anpassats så att den liknar den industriella så mycket som möjligt. Analyser gjordes på viskosens viskositet och substitutionsgrad. En referenskurva tillverkades där den procentuella koldisulfid-satsningen plottades mot viskosens gammatal (substitutionsgraden). Därefter undersöktes hur en enzymbehandling av dissolvingmassan påverkade den färdiga viskosen. Efter enzymbehandlingen av dissolvingmassan utfördes tillverkningsprocessen precis som vanligt för att man skulle kunna se effekterna av enzymet. Enzymet som användes i arbetet var enzympreparationen Carezyme som innehåller endoglukanas. Sedan jämfördes resultaten från analyserna av viskosen tillverkad från enzymbehandlad dissolvingmassa med referensvärdena. Ett positivt resultat hade varit att enzymbehandlad viskos hade ett högre gammatal än viskos tillverkad på vanligt sätt utan enzymförbehandling men med samma koldisulfidsats.   Resultaten visar att substitutionsgraden inte har påverkats alls, dvs. den viskos som tillverkats från enzymbehandlad dissolvingmassa fick gammatal som låg på eller mycket nära referenskurvan. Den enda effekt av enzymet som kunde visas var en viskositetssänkning, vilket inte var något som eftersträvades. Processen har dessutom försvårats av enzymsteget, där kortare fibrer bl.a. gav sämre avvattningsegenskaper. Viskosanalyser har visat att viskosen som tillverkats på laboratoriet inte har samma egenskaper som viskos tillverkad på fabrik.

Electroactive textile fibers are key components in smart and interactive textile applications. In previous research on textile base conductive fibers, viscose fibers were coated with poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophne) (PEDOT) using oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) technique[1]. Ferric chloride was used as oxidant and reaction conditions were optimized at which better electrical as well as mechanical properties of conductive viscose fibers could be achieved. In this thesis work, effect of new parameters such as pretreatment of viscose fibers with solvents, drying of oxidant treated viscose fibers at different time and temperature and comparison of two different oxidants have been tried. One new and important oxidant, ferric (III) p-toluene sulfonate or ferric (III) tosylate, used to prepare PEDOT coated viscose fibers and then compared with PEDOT coated viscose fibers prepared using oxidant ferric (III) chloride. Viscose fibers have been treated with two well know solvents, acetone and ethyl acetate before soaking in oxidant solution. Oxidant enriched fibers dried at different temperature for variable time prior to polymerization step. Knitted structures of conductive viscose fibers have been prepared. Hand washing of PEDOT coated viscose fibers with tap water and machine washing of knitted structures according to the international standard ISO EN-6330 have been performed and washing effects were investigated. Effects of all of the above mentioned variables on electromechanical properties of PEDOT coated viscose fibers were studied by using tensile testing, TGA analysis, FTIR spectra and conductivity measurements. Stretch sensing properties of knitted structures; before and after washing, were determined on cyclic tester. The purpose of this study is to enhance the properties of PEDOT-coated viscose fibers by controlling different parameters and to evaluate their usage as stretch sensors as well as to check the washability of PEDOT coated viscose fibers and knitted structures. Better electromechanical properties were achieved on new parameters and PEDOT coated viscose fibers were successfully utilized as stretch sensors. PEDOT coated viscose fibers could have potential to apply in areas such as, military textiles, medical textiles and sensors. / Program: Master programme in Textile Technology

Biobased thermoset resins were synthesized by functionalizing the tall oil fatty acid with hydrogen peroxide and then methacrylic anhydride. The obtained resins were characterized by FTIR to confirm the conversions. The cross-linking ability of the resins were checked by curing experiments and followed by DSC analysis regarding the extent of cross linking. TGA analysis was conducted to identify the thermal degradation patterns of cured resins. The obtained resins (blended with or without 33wt% styrene) were used as matrix and knitted viscose fibers were used as reinforcements to make bio-based composites. Ten layers of knitted viscose fibers were stacked crosswise (0/90⁰С) and hand lay-up impregnation was performed. The fiber ratio of all composites was around 63-66%. The composites were characterized by flexural testing, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and charpy testing. This work demonstrates that manufacture of composites with both matrix and reinforcement fiber coming from renewable resources is feasible, and the resulted composites have satisfied mechanical performance. / Program: MSc in Resource Recovery - Sustainable Engineering

<p> I viskosprocessens inledande merceriseringssteg behandlas cellulosa (dissolvingmassa) med natriumhydroxid (NaOH) varvid cellulosan omvandlas till alkalicellulosa. Därpå följer en sulfidering med koldisulfid (CS₂) som omvandlar alkalicellulosa till natriumxantogenat. Xantatet löses i en alkalisk lösning och en trögflytande vätska, viskos, bildas. Vid tillverkning av spinnviskos är sista steget i processen en surgörning där koldisulfiden spjälkas av och cellulosan återbildas i form av en tråd. Vid tillverkning av högviskös viskos (Freudenberg HP) sker regenereringen i basisk miljö men vid förhöjd temperatur (100°C), och återbildningen av cellulosa ger då en cellulosabaserad bädd. Genom att öka dissolvingmassans reaktivitet skulle förbrukningen av koldisulfid i sulfideringssteget kunna minskas. Med en ökad reaktivitet menas att fler hydroxylgrupper på cellulosan blir tillgängliga för vidare reaktioner med natriumhydroxid och koldisulfid. Detta skulle kunna möjliggöras med en enzymatisk förbehandling av massan.</p><p>Det första delmålet i projektet var att producera en viskos med hög viskositet i laboratorieskala. Projektets andra mål var att undersöka effekterna av en enzymatisk behandling, med enzymet Carezyme^®, på massans viskositet och reaktivitet.</p><p>En studie gjordes för att se hur olika tider i viskosprocessens andra steg, pressteget, påverkade cellulosahalten och luthalten för alkalicellulosa. Resultaten tydde på att en längre presstid gav en högre cellulosahalt upp till en viss tidpunkt. Vid 195 sekunder avklingade kurvan och effekten av en längre presstid minskade. Resultatet visade också på att mängden lut i alkalicellulosaprovet var relativt konstant och att luthalten inte påverkas nämnvärt av pressningen.</p><p>Vidare genomfördes försök kring viskosprocessens sulfideringssteg. Det fanns under projektets gång stora svårigheter i att uppnå samma höga nivå på gammatalet vid produktion av viskos i laborativ skala (52-58 %) som vid produktion i fabriksskala (68-70 %). Gammatalet är ett mått på hur väl koldisulfid har reagerat med cellulosa under sulfideringen. I ett försök att öka gammatalet satsades en större mängd koldisulfid, med förhoppningen att kunna kompensera för den relativt stora andel koldisulfid som befann sig i gasfas under reaktionen och som därmed inte var aktiv under sulfideringen. Den ökade mängden koldisulfid resulterade dock inte i en ökning av gammatalet. I ett annat försök tillsattes en svag natriumhydroxidlösning direkt till sulfideringskärlet vid avslutad reaktion, utan att någon effekt på gammatalet kunde påvisas. Det undersöktes även om ett ökat förhållande mellan luthalt och cellulosahalt i alkalicellulosan kunde ge någon positiv effekt på gammatalet. Denna förändring gav dock inget ökat gammatal.   </p><p>Dissolvingmassaprover behandlades med enzymet Carezyme^® för att kunna studera dess inverkan på massans reaktivitet och viskositet.  Resultaten visade på en tydlig nedgång i viskositet med högre koncentrationer av enzym. Reaktiviteten på den enzymbehandlade massan ökade i jämförelse med den obehandlade massan. Då viskos producerades med en enzymbehandlad massa kunde ingen effekt av enzymbehandlingen noteras, med avseende på gammatalet.</p><p> </p> / <p>In the first step of the conventional viscose process, called mercerization, cellulose (dissolving pulp) is treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in which the cellulose is converted to alkali cellulose. Alkali cellulose is then treated with carbon disulphide (CS₂) to be converted into a sodium xanthate.  This xanthate is dissolved in an alkali solution and a viscous liquid, called viscose, is formed. The last step in the process is an acidification where the carbon disulphide is splinted off and the cellulose is regenerated in the shape of threads. When producing high viscosity viscose (Freudenberg HP) the regeneration takes place in an alkaline environment and the re-formation of cellulose gives a cellulosic based bed. By increasing the reactivity of the dissolving pulp the amount of carbon disulphide could be reduced, compared at the same degree of substitution. An increase in reactivity means that a larger amount of hydroxyl groups on the cellulose molecule are available to react with sodium hydroxide and carbon disulphide. This could be enabled by an enzymatic pretreatment of the pulp prior to the mercerization step.</p><p>The first aim of this project was to produce a high viscosity viscose in a laboratory scale, comparable to the viscose quality that is produced by Freudenberg HP. The second aim of the project was to investigate the effects of an enzymatic treatment (with the enzyme named Carezyme^®) on the viscosity and reactivity of the dissolving pulp. </p><p>A study was made to examine the influence of the time in the pressing step (after the mercerization) on the cellulose and sodium hydroxide content in the alkali cellulose. The results indicated a linear correlation between the cellulose content and the pressing time up to 195 seconds. At this point the correlation declined and the effects of a longer pressing time decreased. The results also showed that the amount of lye in the alkali cellulose sample was nearly constant and therefore not effected by the pressing time.</p><p>Tests were also carried out concerning the sulphidation step in the process. During the whole project there were difficulties in reaching the same gamma value of the viscose in a laboratory scale (52-58 %) compared to large-scale production (68 - 70%). The gamma value is a measurement of the degree of substitution for carbon disulphide on the cellulose backbone. In one attempt to enhance the gamma value the carbon disulphide charge was increased. The expectation was to compensate for the relatively high amounts of inactive carbon disulphide expected to be found in the gaseous phase in the reactor. However, this did not result in a higher gamma value. In another experiment a weak solution of sodium hydroxide was added directly to the sulphidation vessel after the reaction was completed, but no change in the gamma value was obtained. It was also investigated if an increased relation between the cellulose- and sodium hydroxide content in the alkali cellulose could affect the gamma value positively.  Unfortunately, this modification did not give an increased gamma value.</p><p>Samples of dissolving pulp were treated with the enzyme Carezyme^® to see its impact on viscosity and reactivity of the pulp. The results showed a distinct loss in viscosity with an increased enzyme concentration. The reactivity of the pulp increased compared to the untreated pulp. No effects of the enzymatic treatment could be seen on the final viscose when it was produced from an enzyme treated pulp.</p>

<p>Various chemical properties can be used to characterise dissolving pulp. The quality of the pulp must be carefully controlled to ensure that it meets the requirements for its intended use and the further processes to be applied. If it is to be used to prepare viscose, or other cellulose derivatives, the key prop-erties of the pulp are its accessibility and reactivity. The studies described in this thesis investigated the potential utility of multivariate analysis of chemi-cal and spectral data for determining the properties of dissolving pulp. Dis-solving pulps produced by a two-stage sulfite process, both in the laboratory and a factory were produced pulps for this purpose. The analyses showed that pulp with high reactivity had short cellulose chains, low molecular weight, low polydispersity, low hemicellulose content, high content of ace-tone-extractable compounds, and high surface charge compared to pulp with low reactivity. Important chemical properties of the pulp, such as viscosity and alkali resistance, were successfully predicted from near infrared spectra. Predicting the reactivity, or the viscose filterability, of the pulp was more complex. Several chemical methods for analyzing the reactivity of the pulp were examined. The influence of the cellulose structure at the supermolecu-lar level on the reactivity of the pulp was explored by multivariate analysis of solid state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. Structural variables considered included: differences in hydrogen bonding, contents of hemicel-lulose, amorphous cellulose and crystalline cellulose I and II. Pulps with high reactivity have higher contents of cellulose I and amorphous cellulose than pulps with low reactivity, which have higher contents of cellulose II and hemicellulose.</p>