Cellulose Ether is produced with cellulose by etherification reaction with one or several etherification agents and dry grinding. Cellulose, the raw material in this production process, is Earth’s oldest and most abundant natural polymer, an inexhaustible and invaluable renewable resource for humanity.
Plant cellulose is further divided based on its sources, such as cotton, wood, hemp, and various straws, and it serves as the primary component of plant cell walls.
Animal cellulose originates from bacteria, marine organisms, and various animals.
For industrial production of cellulose ethers, the raw material primarily comes from cotton and wood, depending on the resource availability in different countries and regions.
LANDERCOLL introduces cotton in cellulose ether production. After removing long fibers, cotton linters remaining on cottonseed hulls end up with refined cotton less than 10 mm in length. They contain about 65% to 80% cellulose, while the remaining components include fats, waxes, pectin, and ash. The purpose of refining is to remove these impurities through chemical treatment, resulting in refined cotton with a cellulose content of 99.5%.
