Patent attributes
The present invention is directed to a process for producing spinnable cellulose at least in part from citrus fruits, such as oranges and lemons. In a preferred embodiment, cellulose is extracted from citrus fruits, discarded by the citrus fruits plantations and/or from parts of citrus fruits, waste of the industrial processing of citrus fruits derivatives. Cellulose is extracted from the entire peel of citrus fruits, which includes both albedo and flavedo, or only from albedo. Preferably, cellulose is obtained by chemical extraction, preferably in the absence of chlorine, comprising the treatment of raw materials derived from citrus fruits with hydrogen peroxide under basic conditions. Cellulose obtained by the process of the present invention is optionally mixed with cellulose obtained by different processes, for example with cellulose extracted from wood.
