Mint-containing composite cellulose fiber and production method thereof
The present disclosure provides mint-containing composite cellulose fibers and production methods thereof. A mint-extract crude solution is prepared from a whole mint plant after at least one water extraction process and at least one ethanol extraction process to provide a mint-extract filtrate and mint-extract residues. The mint-extract filtrate is used as the mint-extract crude solution. The mint-extract crude solution is treated to prepare a mint-extract stock solution by at least a quenching process. A viscose spinning solution is prepared by mixing the mint-extract residues with one or more pulps selected from a cotton pulp, a wood pulp, a bamboo pulp, a wool pulp, a linen pulp, a silk pulp, a Tencel pulp, and a Modal pulp. The one or more pulps contain cellulose. A mint-viscose blend is prepared by dynamically mixing the mint-extract stock solution with the viscose spinning solution and then spun into the mint-containing composite cellulose fiber.
1. A method for producing a mint-containing composite cellulose fiber, comprising:
fibrillating and pulverizing a whole mint plant into coarse powders;
performing a water extraction process on the coarse powders by:
mixing the coarse powders of the whole mint plant with water to form a mixture,
introducing a steam into the mixture to prepare a decocted solution, and
filtering the decocted solution to provide first filtered residue and a first filtrate containing extracted mint;
repeating the water extraction process on the first filtered residue to provide second filtered residue and a second filtrate;
performing an ethanol extraction process by:
mixing and impregnating the second filtered residue with ethanol to provide an ethanol-containing mixture,
filtering the ethanol-containing mixture to provide third filtered residue and an ethanol-containing filtrate, and
distilling the ethanol-containing filtrate to provide a third filtrate that is ethanol-free; and
forming a mint-extract crude solution by mixing the first, second, and third filtrates together, wherein the mint-extract crude solution contains the extracted mint;
preparing a mint-extract stock solution containing the extracted mint by treating the mint-extract crude solution using at least a quenching process;
preparing a viscose spinning solution by mixing the third filtered residue containing mint-extract residue with one or more pulps, containing cellulose and selected from a cotton pulp, a wood pulp, a bamboo pulp, a wool pulp, a linen pulp, a silk pulp, a Tencel pulp, and a Modal pulp;
preparing a mint-viscose blend by dynamically mixing the mint-extract stock solution, containing the extracted mint, with the viscose spinning solution; and
spinning the mint-viscose blend into the mint-containing composite cellulose fiber.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein,
the coarse powders having an average size of about 2 mm to about 3 mm.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the water extraction process further comprises:
introducing the steam into the mixture containing the coarse powders and the water to increase a temperature to be about 100° C. for decocting to prepare the decocted solution.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the quenching process comprises:
increasing a temperature of the mint-extract crude solution to be about 100° C. and maintained at the temperature for about 1 to about 2 hours, and
quickly reducing the temperature to about 10° C. within about 30 minutes.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of preparing the mint-extract stock solution containing the extracted mint further comprises:
after the quenching process, filtering out crystal substances from the mint-extract crude solution, followed by a defoaming process.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mint-extract residue is mixed with the one or more pulps at a ratio of about 1:3 to about 1:6 by weight.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, after mixing the mint-extract residue with the one or more pulps, the step of preparing the viscose spinning solution further comprises:
one or more processes selected from an impregnation process, a squeezing process, a crushing process, an aging process, a xanthation process, and a dissolving process, to obtain the viscose spinning solution.
8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein:
an impregnation surfactant of about 0.01% to about 0.02% by weight of the cellulose in the viscose spinning solution is used in the impregnation process,
a crush denaturing agent of about 0.02% to about 0.03% by weight of the cellulose in the viscose spinning solution is used in the crushing process, and
a dissolution denaturing agent of about 1.0% to about 2.0% by weight of the cellulose in the viscose spinning solution is used in the dissolving process.
9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein:
an impregnation surfactant in the impregnation process comprises a hydrophilic anionic surfactant comprising sulfonated castor oil, alkyl ammonium polyoxyethylene glycol, or a combination thereof,
a crush denaturing agent in the crushing process comprises polyoxyethylene glycol ether, hydroxyethyl aliphatic amine, or a combination thereof, and
a dissolution denaturing agent in the dissolving process comprises polyethylene glycol, urea, or a combination thereof.
10. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the whole mint plant further includes raw materials of chloranthus, glaber, apocynum, tuckahoe, isatin root, wormwood, or a combination thereof.
11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the viscose spinning solution has:
a fiber concentration of about 9.0% by weight of total amount of the viscose spinning solution,
an alkali concentration of about 4.80% by weight of total amount of the viscose spinning solution,
a viscosity of about 50.0 s/cm 2 ,
a degree of maturation with 10% ammonium chloride value of about 14.0 mL, and
a filtration resistance constant Kw of about 100 or less.
12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of preparing the mint-viscose blend comprises:
prior to spinning, adding the mint-extract stock solution into a dynamic mixer through a metering pump, wherein the mint-extract stock solution is in an amount such that extracted mint in the mint-extract stock solution has a ratio with the mint-containing composite cellulose fiber for about 10% to about 20% by weight, and
simultaneously adding the viscose spinning solution into the dynamic mixer through a viscose flowmeter.
13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of spinning the mint-viscose blend comprises:
introducing the mint-viscose blend in a coagulation bath,
wherein the coagulation bath includes about 70 g/L to about 120 g/L of sulfuric acid, about 4 g/L to about 8 g/L of aluminum sulfate, and about 320 g/L to about 350 g/L of sodium sulfate, at a temperature of about 40 to about 60° C.
14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of spinning the mint-viscose blend further comprises:
conducting a fiber drawing process having about 20% to about 15% nozzle draw, about 20% to about 45% disc draw, and about 5% to about 20% plasticizing bath draw.
15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of spinning the mint-viscose blend further comprises:
one or more processes selected from a cutting process, a water washing process, a desulfurizing process, and an oil treating process of the mint-containing composite cellulose fiber,
wherein the desulfurizing process uses a desulfurizing bath comprising about 2 g/L to about 6 g/L of sodium sulfite at about 30° C. to about 60° C.
16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mint-containing composite cellulose fiber includes:
the cellulose of about 85% to about 95% by weight of the total mint-containing composite cellulose fiber, and
the mint-extract of about 5% to about 15% by weight of the total mint-containing composite cellulose fiber,
wherein the mint-containing composite cellulose fiber further includes one or more pulps selected from a cotton pulp, a wood pulp, a bamboo pulp, a wool pulp, a linen pulp, a silk pulp, a Tencel pulp, and a Modal pulp.
17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mint-containing composite cellulose fiber has a dry breaking strength greater than about 2.0 cN/dtex, a wet breaking strength greater than about 1.1 cN/dtex, a dry breaking elongation greater than about 16%, and a line density deviation of about 7%.
18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mint-containing composite cellulose fiber has a whiteness of about 38% to about 48%, a bacteriostatic logarithm value greater than about 2.0, a bactericidal logarithm value greater than 0, and a coolness coefficient greater than about 0.20 W/cm 2 .