How wood is transformed into fibers for life

We have been manufacturing fibers from the renewable raw material wood for about 80 years. Accordingly, we are one of the world’s oldest and most experienced companies in our industry. We have also secured a leadership position in the 21st century thanks to a passion for our products and technological know-how.

An overview of our processes

The Lenzing Group combines comprehensive expertise in operating pulp and biorefinery processes with decades of experience in the major fiber process technologies viscose, modal and lyocell.

Lyocell process

The lyocell production process is the most modern method for producing fibers from wood. It has been successfully applied on an industrial scale for about 25 years and is particularly environmentally responsible – an alternative to the complex viscose and modal production process. The underlying idea of the lyocell process is to dissolve and process the pulp in a closed loop without any chemical derivatisation.

Similar to LENZING™ Viscose and LENZING™ Modal fibers, the basic raw material is dissolving wood pulp from sustainable forestry. In contrast to the viscose process an organic solvent called N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) is used to directly dissolve the pulp without any chemical change. For this reason, it is considerably simpler than viscose production. The technology developed by Lenzing enables more than 99 percent of the solvent to be recovered in a closed chemical loop and then fed back into the production process.Moreover, Lenzing has constantly refined the lyocell production process over the years, and steadily reduced energy consumption on the basis of continuous optimization.

Viscose process

In a first step, the cellulose in the pulp is converted and matured before the eponymous spinning solution is produced in the core process of the viscose process, the sulfidation process step. This honey-like, viscous mass is further refined in further physical process steps to increase quality before it is pressed through fine nozzles into the spinning bath. Here, the cellulose originally used is completely regenerated under precisely defined process conditions, resulting in fibers with predetermined properties and quality characteristics. In the further course of the process, the fibers are cut, subjected to a coordinated washing process and dried.

All LENZING™ fibers are finished with a finish of soap-like substances, the so-called avivage, for better processing.

In addition to maintaining high and consistent quality standards for the more than 500 different fiber types, the special feature of the viscose process developed by Lenzing is that technical solutions are consistently developed and applied in order to continuously raise environmental standards.

Lenzing is regarded as a global leader in environmental standards due to the high recovery rates of chemicals, the use of environmentally friendly energy sources, the extensive use of waste heat and the complete treatment and purification of all waste water.

A natural by-product of fiber production by the viscose process is the co-product sodium sulfate. Sodium sulfate is separated from the fiber production process in separate process steps and converted to high-purity product quality. This valuable by-product can thus be used in the detergent industry, the glass industry and also in the food industry.

Modal process

LENZING™ Modal fibers are produced in a process that is basically comparable to the viscose process. However, by specific modification of relevant process settings in the production of the spinning solution as well as in the spinning process, it is possible to produce fibers which are mainly characterized by their high strength. A high fiber strength is necessary to achieve the dimensional stability of the textiles on the one hand and the production of very fine yarns on the other hand. Very fine yarns are processed, e.g. for high-quality lingerie, they feel pleasantly soft on the skin. Lenzing has succeeded in optimizing the process in such a way that these fibers can be produced with outstanding properties and high uniformity.

Biorefinery

Wood is far too valuable to only use it for extracting pulp to produce fibers. We respect the assets of every tree: Use all, spoil none — we make the best use of this natural resource and turn it into as many valuable products as possible. This concept is called the biorefinery.

At our biorefineries in Lenzing, Paskov and Indianópolis, we use the renewable source material wood as universal replacement for non-renewable raw materials that are faced with increasing criticism, such as crude oil. Therefore, we aim to utilize and commercialize all of the wood’s natural components by turning them into pulp for Lenzing fibers or other useful Lenzing solutions for various industries.

Our biorefinery products, for example, are valuable supplies to the food industry: acetic acid acts as the perfect ingredient to pickle vegetables, and xylose is processed into a low-calorie sugar substitute. 

After our renewable raw material wood has provided us with valuable products, it still is precious to us: The energy contained in the wood is used to operate our facilities, making them almost fully energy self-sufficient.

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Sustainable process innovations

In recent years Lenzing has developed numerous innovative process technologies that make a significant contribution to the conservation of resources and thus to the protection of our environment.

REFIBRA™ technology

Area of application: Textile

Fiber type: LENZING™ Lyocell

Each year about over 100 million tons of fibers are consumed to produce textile and nonwovens products. For example, 140 billion garments are manufactured from these fibers. But what should be done with them when they are no longer needed? The REFIBRA™  technology represents one first credible response to this challenge.

However, in addition to wood pulp, up to one-third of the raw materials are comprised of pulp from cutting waste generated by the production of cotton garments, and now, for the first time, also post-consumer cotton textile waste. By 2024, we want to set an even higher standard for the industry. At this point, fibers made using the REFIBRA™ technology should contain up to 50 percent recycled materials from post-consumer cotton waste. In this way, textile waste recycling should become just as widespread as paper recycling.

In this way we have demonstrated a practical solution for promoting closed loop production processes. Numerous fashion brands are already working on fashion collections featuring Lenzing fibers manufactured on the basis of the REFIBRA™ technology.

Eco Cycle technology

Area of application: Nonwovens

Fiber type: LENZING™ Lyocell

The Eco Cycle technology is the nonwovens counterpart to our REFIBRA™ technology. The only difference between the two technologies is the name. Lenzing's groundbreaking Eco Cycle technology recycles one third of the pulp required for fiber production from cotton residues from textile manufacturing and obtains wood pulp from sustainably managed forests. The combined pulps are converted to produce new lyocell fibers for the nonwovens sector which are certified clean and safe. These fibers for nonwoven applications provide a practical way for roll-good manufacturers to contribute to the recycling economy without having to perform mechanical recycling themselves. Based on the award-winning closed-loop lyocell manufacturing process, the Eco Cycle technology is Lenzing's first step to contribute to the recycling of the nonwovens industry.

Eco Filament technology

Area of application: Textile

Fiber type: LENZING™ Lyocell Filament

Now after several years of development work, Lenzing has succeeded in also adapting its environmentally responsible lyocell production technology to continuous special yarns (“filaments”) The results are high-quality yarns for the luxury fashion segment which Lenzing markets under the brand name TENCEL™ Luxe. In this way we also open up the possibility for haute couture to integrate sustainable fibers in their products. This is because the environmental impact of our TENCEL™ Luxe filaments is more than 80 percent lower than comparable premium filament yarns such as silk or viscose filament. Today TENCEL™ Luxe stands for a combination of sustainability, performance and aesthetics.

LENZING™ Web technology

Area of application: Nonwovens

The LENZING™ Web technology is an innovative R&D development technology platform that allows producing a wide range of novel sustainable nonwoven materials from the raw material wood. The patented nonwoven web formation process – Lenzing holds more than 25 patent applications - starts with dissolving wood pulp and produces a directly formed cellulosic nonwoven fabric made of 100 percent continuous lyocell filament. This technology enables fiber and nonwoven production in only one step and sets new standards in the field of cellulose nonwoven fabrics with respect to efficiency, circularity and ecological sustainability. The flexibility of this technology and possible integration with other nonwoven technologies will enable the development of a wider range of new cellulosic materials and composite structures for highly engineered end use applications.

Eco Color technology

Area of application: Textile and nonwovens

Fiber type: LENZING™ Modal Black/Color, LENZING™ Viscose Color/Black

The environmentally friendly Eco Color technology replaces the resource-intensive conventional dyeing process of finished fabrics or nonwovens. Our Eco Color technology enables us to dye fibers during production, eliminating the need for a processing step at our partners. This leads to considerable savings in water and energy from the source to the finished fabric. This means a lower environmental impact compared to conventionally dyed fabrics and nonwovens fabrics.

Dope-dyed fibers also have the advantage that the color pigments are deeply embedded in the fiber. As a result, they retain a long-lasting color brilliance compared to conventionally dyed fabrics or nonwovens, including black, a popular color for textiles, and are less prone to fading even after repeated washing.

Fibers produced under the Eco Color technology have been certified with the EU Ecolabel, a label of environmental excellence awarded to products meeting high environmental standards throughout their life cycle.