General Information About Cellulose Fibres

Cellulose fibres are divided into two groups: natural and regenerated. When it comes to natural cellulose fibres, seed fibres such as cotton; bast fibres such as flax and hemp; leaf fibres such as sisal; and fruit fibres such as coconut fibre come to mind. Regenerated cellulose fibres include viscose, copper rayon, nitrate rayon and acetate fibres. Before moving on to the dyeing of cellulose fibres, this chapter briefly recalls the chemical structures of these fibres. In addition, the effects of various factors (water, acid, alkali, salt, oxidising agent, reducing agent, organic solvent, heat, light, microorganisms and harmful insects) on cellulose fibres are summarised.