Polyester-free cotton is obtained from a fabric and/or fibers containing polyester and cotton by reacting the fabric and/or fibers with an amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same and an alcohol solvent. The reaction, which may be run in batches or as a continuous flow process, recovers (i) polyester-free cotton as a solid inert by-product of the reaction, (ii) the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same for reuse, (iii) a polyester monomer product, and (iv) unreacted alcohol. The reaction works on any polyester-cotton fabric and/or fibers, including those that have at least one additional material, such as polyethers polyolefins, polyurethanes, nylon, rayon, acetate, viscose, modal, acrylic, wool, and combinations thereof.

Methods and systems of the present invention use mixed textile feedstock, which may include post-consumer waste garments, scrap fabric and/or other textile materials as a raw feed material to produce isolated cellulose and other isolated molecules having desirable properties that can be used and be used in the textile and apparel industries, and in other industries. A multi-stage process is provided, in which mixed textile feed material is subjected to one or more pretreatment stages, followed by at least two pulping treatments for isolating cellulose molecules and other molecular constituents, such as polyester. The isolated cellulose and polyester molecules may be used in a variety of downstream applications. In one application, isolated cellulose and polyester molecules are extruded to provide regenerated cellulose fibers and regenerated polyester fibers having desirable (and selectable) properties that are usable in various industrial applications, including textile production.

The present invention is directed to a film comprising a base film which has been coated on at least one side with a coating that enhances gas and/or moisture barrier properties, wherein the base film comprises a fiber material and at least 60% by weight of said fiber material is microfibrillated cellulose, and the thickness of the coating is from 0.05 to 20 μm. The invention is also directed to products using said film. Such products are in particular packages suitable for sensitive objects that need to be packaged in a controlled or modified atmosphere. The film is also useful for other purposes, such as in the manufacture of balloons.

Environmentally friendly, sustainable, and high-performance ultralight composite foams are disclosed. The composite foams are prepared from cellulose nanomaterial, polymeric material, and a crosslinking agent. The fabrication process is simple and uses only water. The composite foams exhibit an elastic strain exceeding the values reported for known nanocellulose-based foams with no reinforcement. The foams exhibit a thermal conductivity superior to that of traditional insulating materials and retain structural integrity after burning.

The present disclosure relates to a barrier composition comprising a modified or unmodified starch, a plasticizer, and an MFC, and to a method for producing the barrier composition and the use thereof, such as in a multi-layer structure comprising the barrier composition and a carrier layer. Methods for producing a multi-layer structure comprising a barrier composition are also disclosed, and can be applied in order to obtain an article that comprises the multi-layer structure.

The invention relates to systems and techniques for manufacturing articles containing cellulosic material, a tackifier, and a binder, and related processes of making and using the cellulosic articles. In particularly exemplary embodiments, the manufactured articles are door skins, sometimes known as door facings, and doors made from the door skins. The article contains a lipophilic cellulosic material, a tackifier, and a binder.

A method of manufacturing a flexible intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite controlling for an effective pore size using removable pore-forming substances and physically incorporated, non-leaching antimicrobials. A flexible intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite controlled for an effective pore size composited physically incorporated, high-surface area, non-leaching antimicrobials, optionally in which the physically incorporated non-leaching antimicrobial exposes nanopillars on its surface to enhance antimicrobial activity. A kit that enhances the effectiveness of the intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite by storing the composite within an antimicrobial container.

A visibly transparent, homogeneous UV-blocking cellulose nanocrystal/lignin nanocomposite film and a method of making the same. The film is made by dispersing cellulose nanocrystals and lignin in an aqueous, alkaline solution to yield a dispersion; casting the dispersion onto a substrate; and evaporating the aqueous, alkaline solution to yield a homogeneous, visibly transparent film that at least partially absorbs ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

A foamed, opacifying element useful as a light-blocking article is prepared with a dry opacifying layer on a substrate. The dry opacifying layer is densified, followed by application of a functional composition formulation to form a functional composition upon drying and curing at a coverage of 0.5-15 g/m.sup.2. The functional composition comprises at least: (i) glass particles such as hollow glass particles at a coverage of 0.1-2.2 g/cm.sup.2, and can also include any or combination of a (iv) water-soluble or water-dispersible organic polymeric binder that may be crosslinked, thickeners, coating aids having an HLB of at least 5, (ii) lubricants, (iii) tinting materials, and (v) crosslinking agents. Among other properties, the presence of the glass particles provides additional heat absorption for the foamed, opacifying elements that can be formed into light-blocking materials.

The porous-cellulose particles according to the present invention are constituted by gathered crystalline celluloses having a type I crystal form including a glucose molecule as a constitutional unit. That is, porous-cellulose particles having high sphericity have been achieved from a natural raw material. The porous-cellulose particles have an average particle diameter of 0.5 to less than 50 μm, a specific surface area of 50 to 1000 m.sup.2/g, and a sphericity of 0.85 or more. Cosmetic products containing such porous-cellulose particles have excellent texture properties.