RUG RENOVATING JULY 2014 NEWSLETTER

The Many Faces of Rayon

What do Artificial Silk, Art, Silk, Banana Silk, Viscose, Tencel, Bamboo Silk, Allo Silk, Cactus Silk, Soya Silk, Modal, Cuprammonium, Lyocell, Triacetate, and Acetate have in common?

They are all a type of rayon.

Rayon is the generic term for regenerated (or reformed) cellulosic fibers produced by four main processes: 

1.  “Regular rayon” or viscose.  In the search for a product that could match silk, a Frenchman by the name of Count Hilaire de Chardonnet produced the first manufactured fiber.  In 1891, he dissolved the pulp of mulberry trees (since silk worms feed on the leaves) in chemicals and forced the solution through a metal plate with tiny holes.  It was exposed to heated air and chemicals to harden the material into a filament fiber.  It was removed from the market due to flammability issues.

Large-scale commercial production of “Artificial Silk” began around 1900 based on a process developed by British inventors, Charles Cross, Edward Bevan, and Clayton Beadle.  Cellulose from wood pulp or short cotton fibers, called linters, is immersed in a solution of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) and aged. 

The confusion between real silk and artificial silk led the US Federal Trade Commission (more on this later) in 1924 to establish the term “rayon” (French for “ray of light”). 

2.  High Wet Modulus (HWM), Modal®.  A Japanese researcher modified the viscose process to develop a fiber more like cotton used for garments, with a high-tenacity version for tire cords.

3.  Lyocell.  The raw material for lyocell is also cellulosic pulp.  The chemicals used are not as toxic as viscose rayon and the process is self contained. The fiber is stronger than viscose rayon and is mostly ised in garments. It is sold under the brand name Tencel® and manufactured in Europe.  Recently Tencel has come to market for carpet and rugs as it “feels silky and soft”

4.  Cuprammonium Rayon is different from the viscose rayon process because the cellulose is dissolved in a copper ammonium solution Due to clean-water regulations it is no longer produced in the USA.

So what about banana silk, bamboo silk, and soya silk?  Trust me, bananas do not produce silk.  These are marketing terms used to disguise the fact the rug is made from regenerated cellulose i.e, viscose rayon.

Our friends at the FTC (remember them?) have taken several large retailers to court over false labeling or “bamboo-zling”(maybe they do have a sense of humor after all).  The FTC has levied million dollar fines for advertising “made from 100% bamboo fiber,” “antimicrobial”, “biodegradable” and “eco-friendly fiber.”  The violators include Amazon.com, Leon Max, Macy’s, Sears, and Kmart.  The proper label is “Rayon made from Bamboo.” It is not a “green” fiber. 

So now that you know what Rayon Viscose actually is you can make a more informed choice when specifying a fiber for the floor covering in your next design project. You can inform your client about the differences between REAL SILK and regenerated fiber.

The next newsletter will review the performance characteristics of the different fibers, such as real silk, viscose rayon, nylon, wool etc. How do they stand up to foot traffic, spills, cleaning and how does stain protection affect them?

See you in the next issue.

*This article was written with the help of Aaron Groseclose