Crosslinked carboxyalkyl cellulose fibers having permanent and non-permanent crosslinks

1. Substantially water-insoluble, water-swellable, non-regenerated, carboxyalkyl cellulose fibers, wherein the fibers have a surface having the appearance of the surface of a cellulose fiber, and wherein the fibers comprise a plurality of non-permanent intra-fiber metal crosslinks and a plurality of permanent intra-fiber crosslinks.

2. The fibers of claim 1 , wherein the non-permanent intra-fiber metal crosslinks comprise multi-valent metal ion crosslinks.

3. The fibers of claim 2 , wherein the multi-valent metal ion crosslinks comprise one or more metal ions selected from the group consisting of aluminum, boron, bismuth, titanium, zirconium, cerium, and chromium ions, and mixtures thereof.

4. The fibers of claim 1 , wherein the non-permanent intra-fiber metal crosslinks comprise aluminum ions.

5. The fibers of claim 1 , wherein the permanent intra-fiber crosslinks are selected from the group consisting of ether cross links and ester crosslinks.

6. The fibers of claim 1 , wherein the permanent intra-fiber crosslinks comprise covalent crosslinks formed from an organic compound having at least two functional groups capable of reacting with at least one functional group selected from the group consisting of carboxyl, carboxylic acid, and hydroxyl groups.

7. The fibers of claim 6 , wherein the organic compound is 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol.

8. Substantially water-insoluble, water-swellable, non-regenerated, carboxyalkyl cellulose fibers, wherein the fibers have a surface having the appearance of the surface of a cellulose fiber, and wherein the fibers comprise a plurality of non-permanent intra-fiber metal crosslinks and a plurality of permanent intra-fiber crosslinks, wherein the permanent intra-fiber crosslinks comprise covalent crosslinks formed from 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol.

9. The fibers of claim 8 , wherein the non-permanent intra-fiber metal crosslinks comprise multi-valent metal ion crosslinks.

10. The fibers of claim 9 , wherein the multi-valent metal ion crosslinks comprise one or more metal ions selected from the group consisting of aluminum, boron, bismuth, titanium, zirconium, cerium, and chromium ions, and mixtures thereof.

11. The fibers of claim 8 , wherein the non-permanent intra-fiber metal crosslinks comprise aluminum ions.

12. A fiber bundle, comprising a plurality of substantially water-insoluble, water-swellable, non-regenerated, carboxyalkyl cellulose fibers, wherein the fibers have a surface having the appearance of the surface of a cellulose fiber, and wherein the fibers comprise a plurality of non-permanent intra-fiber metal crosslinks and a plurality of permanent intra-fiber crosslinks.

13. The fiber bundle of claim 12 , wherein the non-permanent intra-fiber metal crosslinks comprise multi-valent metal ion crosslinks.

14. The fiber bundle of claim 13 , wherein the multi-valent metal ion crosslinks comprise one or more metal ions selected from the group consisting of aluminum, boron, bismuth, titanium, zirconium, cerium, and chromium ions, and mixtures thereof.

15. The fiber bundle of claim 12 , wherein the non-permanent intra-fiber metal crosslinks comprise aluminum ions.

16. The fiber bundle of claim 12 , wherein the permanent intra-fiber crosslinks are selected from the group consisting of ether crosslinks and ester crosslinks.

17. The fiber bundle of claim 12 , wherein the permanent intra-fiber crosslinks comprise covalent crosslinks formed from an organic compound having at least two functional groups capable of reacting with at least one functional group selected from the group consisting of carboxyl, carboxylic acid, and hydroxyl groups.

18. The fiber bundle of claim 17 , wherein the organic compound is 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol.