artificial & Mineral

Artificial fibers are chemical fibers derived from organic raw materials, of plant (cellulose extracted from plants) or animal (proteins) origin. This category also includes mineral fibers that are derived from inorganic raw materials.

Some artificial textile fibers are always derived from natural plant fibers (cellulose from beech wood, bamboo, white pine, eucalyptus, etc.) Different physical and chemical processes make it possible to extract and isolate cellulose in order to extrude it. Depending on the process used, the fibers obtained belong to the category of viscose (regenerated cellulose) or acetate (cellulose transformed into cellulose esters). They are exploited in the form of continuous filaments (rayon) or twisted short fibers, cotton aspect (fibranne). Other artificial textile fibers come from the chemical transformation or the enrichment of natural fibers of animal or vegetable origin such as such as brown algae (Alginate or Seacell®), corn starch (PLA), milk casein (Lanital), crustacean shell (Crabyon®), etc. Just like natural fibres, artificial fibers can come from organic (cellulose, proteins, etc.) or inorganic. This is the case for fiberglass (regenerated silica), carbon fiber, basalt and mineral wool used in insulation (processed minerals).

It was by wanting to copy natural silk that this category of fiber appeared. As early as 1665, scientists worked on the composition of the liquid secreted by silkworms, which has the particularity of being the only fiber of natural origin which consists of continuous filaments of great length. Two centuries later, the chemical treatment of the cellulose contained in the wood pulp makes it possible to obtain a substitute for silk: man has managed to create an artificial fiber that is easy to produce, to spin and whose maintenance is easier than natural silk. It is called artificial silk before renaming it viscose to avoid confusion. This technology has marked the development of so-called chemical fibers, or artificial, although derived from natural raw materials. It will take off in the 20th century and the development of these fibers has exploded in a century. In 2008, artificial fibers accounted for around 8% of textile fibers in all categories.