Melt Blown Cellulose (Lyocell) from Reicofil system

Dr Horst Ebeling of the Fraunhofer Institute (Germany) introduced the first fruits of the collaboration between Weyerhaeuser, Reicofil and his Institute to develop a process for making melt-blown lyocell. Some photos taken at his talk in Rudolstadt (TITK - 2006 Alternative Cellulose Conference) follow:

The Lyocell melt-blown process flow chart

The benefits of melt-blown cellulose nonwovens

Die scale-up issues

Lyocell melt-blown: Die-swelling versus throughput

Pore diameters increase with intensity of coagulation

Lyocell Melt-blown Nonwovens: Tenacity versus basis weight

Cellulose Melt blown from Lyocell Dope by the Nanoval Process

Dr Bernd Riedel of TITK introduced the collaboration between Lenzing, TITK and Nanoval to explore the production of spunlaid lyocell using Nanoval’s Laval nozzle version of melt-blowing. The following are some of the more interesting photos taken during this excellent talk at TITK's Alternative cellulose conference in Rudolstadt (Sept 2006).

The Nanoval spun-laid lyocell pilot line at TITK

Diagram of the Nanoval Pilot Line

The Nanoval lyocell pilot line nozzle arrangement

SEM of spunlaid lyocell nonwoven from the Nanoval process

SEM's of 25 gsm and 8gsm lyocell spunlaid nonwovens from Nanoval

Partially and completely split cellulose fibres from the Nanoval process

Photos from 2006 Alternative Cellulose Conference - Rudolstadt

Ralf Bauer, Head of TITK - Rudolstadt opens the meeting

Mechanical Properties of various man-made cellulose fibers as presented by Fraunhofer Institute

Nanofibre application development

Cellulose nanofibres with a collosal absorbency

Apparatus for spinning cellulose nanofibres

SEM's of oriented cellulose nanofibres

Above nanofibre slides shown by
B. Laszkiewicz of the Technical University of Lodz

More Photos from INTC 2006 Houston

Downtown Houston

Cocktail Party 1

Cocktail Party 2

Cocktail Party 3

Photos from INTC 2006 - September, Houston

Houston from the Hilton Hotel - the INTC 2006 venue

Self Assembled Electrospun Nanofibers - slide shown by
Seshastri Ramkumar of Texas Tech University

Production of nonwovens in Europe 1995-2004 - tonnes: Source unknown - please advise using "comment" below.

Nonwovens Production worldwide 1994-2009, drylaid versus spunlaid: Source unknown - please advise using "comment" below.

More Photos from EDANA Outlook 2006

Gerard Bol of the Shell International Gamechanger team

Irina Barbalova of Euromonitor International (UK) withKris Malowaniec

Cocktails at the Codorniu Wine Cellars

Delagates arriving at the Codorniu Wine Cellars

Photos from Edana 2006 Outlook Conference - Sitges, September

Sitges in September

(l-r)Eamonn Tighe of Natureworks Ingeo Fibers, Alfred Strigl, Director of the Austrian Institute for Sustainable Development, Marina Franke of Procter and Gamble Germany and Luc Maes, Chairman of Edana.

Gregg Vandersteeg of 3M Global Health Care, Gerard Bol of Shell International Gamechanger Team, Thomas Broch-Nielsen of Fibertex A/S and Gunnar Preifors of SCA Hygiene Products

Ethan Sinick of Management Ventures Inc positioning the EU Spupermarket chains

Electrostatic and Centrifugal Spinning Routes to Nanofibres

Martin Dauner, Head of Nonwovens Technology at ITV Denkendorf (Germany), the Moderator of this session, stepped in to give this unlisted paper when the second of the session’s speakers cancelled.

Electrostatic spinning at ITV Denkendorf (Germany)

Centrifugal Spinning at ITV Denkendorf.

A Comparison of polyethylene oxide nanofibres electrospun and centrifugally spun from 5% solutions. Dr Dauner thought the centrifugal approach would ultimately replace electrostatic spinning.

The range of routes to nanofibres

Nanofibres have applications in both filtration and textile markets

Lutz Bergmann (l) and Martin Dauner

Automotive Filters at EDANA Filtration 2006

Mauro Roperto of Ahlstrom (Turin) SpA, with Andreas Mayer of TTM Switzerland and Christophe Peuchot of the Institute of Filtration and Separation (France)

Mauro Roperto has been adding fine meltblown and nano-fiber layers to wet-laid airfilter media and measuring their effects on initial efficiency and dust holding capacity using NaCl, DEHS (Di-Ethyl-Hexyl-Sebacate) and ISO-fine dust contaminants. This slide illustrates the effects of a nanofiber layer on the efficiency of HEPA filters, using the NaCl test.

Andreas Mayer of TTM (Switzerland) said all internal combustion engines emit 20-300 nm particles, and diesel soot, being invisible, odorless and tasteless is particularly dangerous. They are now being implicated in Alzheimers and Parkinsons diseases. This slide illustrates the effects of air pollution (in this case the ultrafine particles from diesel engines) on the mortality rates in 6 US cities.

Andreas Mayer's slide listing the projects for retrofitting high efficiency filters to diesel exhausts to reduce air pollution.

EDANA Filtration Conference opens in Munich on 24th Oct 2006

Pierre Wiertz, the General Manager of EDANA opened the meeting...

...with the Air Filtration speakers, Jerome Barrillon of Ahlstrom USA, Alain Langerock of Devan Chemicals Belgium, Norman Lifschutz of Hollingsworth and Vose USA, and Peter Tsai of the University of Tennessee looking on.

Lutz Bergmann of Filter Media Consulting introduced Filtration with this slide of filtration efficiency versus particle size...

...and segmented filtration by markets...

... and technologies