A ligno-cellulosic fibre pretreatment formulation and process for improving spinnability of ligno-cellulosic fibre

Background
Hemp fibre cannot be spun into yarn in the decorticated form obtained from the farmer. It requires degumming process. High concentration Alkali boiling (5 to10 gpl of Sodium hydroxide) is standard industrial practice for pre-processing of spinning for lingo-cellulosic fibres. The process generates brown colored alkaline degummed liquor which needs to be disposed off. Also, around 20% by weight of the fibre is lost in this process as gum, which is dissolved by the alkali treatment. Similarly for hemp fibre Alkali boiling is used to remove the gummy material present in the fibre structure to soften and open the fibre which produces a lot of alkaline brown water. The developed technology is a novel process using a softening material, used to partially replace the alkaline degumming process.
Technology Details
The technology relates to a water based ligno-cellulosic fibre treatment formulation and method of pre-processing of ligno-cellulosic fibers for improving spinnability of said fibres. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pre-treatment process using a fibre treatment formulation comprising a hydrophilic/hydrophobic silicon polymer to partially replace the alkaline degumming process for improving spinnability of ligno-cellulosic fibres such as hemp. Advantageously, the present invention does not produce any toxic alkaline black liquor or toxic effluent; and save water and energy required for the pre-processing of the ligno-cellulosic fibres.