# US 2019/0316293 A1 · Processes for improving high aspect ratio cellulose filament blends > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0316293 A1 - Document ID: US20190316293A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/383,459 - Filed: 2019-04-12 - Published: 2019-10-17 - Earliest claimed: 2018-04-12 - Assignees: Mercer International Inc. - Applicants: Mercer International Inc. - Inventors: Tobias Ziegenbein - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190316293A1 ## CPC - D01C 1/00: Treatment of vegetable material - D21C 5/00: Other processes for obtaining cellulose, e.g. cooking cotton linters (obtaining fibres for spinning D01C); {Processes characterised by the choice of cellulose-containing starting materials} - D01F 2/00: Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of cellulose or cellulose derivatives; Manufacture thereof - D01G 5/00: Separating, e.g. sorting, fibres (separating fibres of differing lengths in silk-dressing machines D01G17/00; in combing machines D01G19/00) - D21C 9/00: After-treatment of cellulose pulp, e.g. of wood pulp, or cotton linters {; Treatment of dilute or dewatered pulp or process improvement taking place after obtaining the raw cellulosic material and not provided for elsewhere (polysaccharides, derivatives thereof C08B; paper-making D21B - D21H)} - D21D 99/00: Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass - D21H 11/16: modified by a particular after-treatment - D21H 11/18: Highly hydrated, swollen or fibrillatable fibres - D10B 2201/00: Cellulose-based fibres, e.g. vegetable fibres - D01C: CHEMICAL OR BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF NATURAL FILAMENTARY OR FIBROUS MATERIAL TO OBTAIN FILAMENTS OR FIBRES FOR SPINNING; CARBONISING RAGS TO RECOVER ANIMAL FIBRES - D21C: PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE BY REMOVING NON-CELLULOSE SUBSTANCES FROM CELLULOSE-CONTAINING MATERIALS; REGENERATION OF PULPING LIQUORS; APPARATUS THEREFOR - D01F: CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS - D01G: PRELIMINARY TREATMENT OF FIBRES, e.g. FOR SPINNING (winding or unwinding, conducting or guiding laps, webs, slivers or rovings in general, sliver or roving cans, depositing in sliver or roving cabs B65H; preparation of fibres for paper-making D21) - D21D: TREATMENT OF THE MATERIALS BEFORE PASSING TO THE PAPER-MAKING MACHINE - D21H: PULP COMPOSITIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - D10B: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES ## Abstract A process for improving high aspect ratio cellulose filament blends comprising the steps of: a) providing a blend of cellulose nano-filaments or blend of cellulose micro-filaments; b) diluting the blend of cellulose nano-filaments or the blend of cellulose micro-filaments to a target consistency; c) fractionating the diluted blend of cellulose nano-filaments or the diluted blend of cellulose micro-filaments from the step c); and, d) collecting the fraction of the diluted blend of cellulose nano-filaments or the diluted blend of cellulose micro-filaments from the step c) having an average length of greater than at least about 25 μm. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process for improving high aspect ratio cellulose filament blends comprising the steps of: a) providing a blend of cellulose nano-filaments or blend of cellulose micro-filaments; b) diluting said blend of cellulose nano-filaments or said blend of cellulose micro-filaments to a target consistency; c) fractionating said diluted blend of cellulose nano-filaments or said diluted blend of cellulose micro-filaments into, at least, a high-solids fraction and a low-solids fraction; and, d) collecting said fraction of said diluted blend of cellulose nano-filaments or said diluted blend of cellulose micro-filaments having an average length of greater than at least about 25 μm. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The process for improving high aspect ratio filament blends of claim 1 wherein the diluting of said blend of cellulose nano-filaments or said blend of cellulose micro-filaments of step b is done with water. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The process for improving high aspect ratio filament blends of claim 1 wherein the diluting step of step b) dilutes the blend of cellulose nano-filaments or said blend of cellulose micro-filaments to a target consistency of less than 4%. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The process for improving high aspect ratio filament blends of claim 1 wherein the diluting step of step b) dilutes the blend of cellulose nano-filaments or said blend of cellulose micro-filaments to a target consistency of less than 3%. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The process for improving high aspect ratio filament blends of claim 1 wherein the fractionation step of step c) comprises centrifuging said diluted blend of cellulose nano-filaments or said diluted blend of cellulose micro-filaments from said step b); and, the collecting step of step d) comprises decanting said low-solids fraction from said diluted and centrifuged blend of cellulose nano-filaments or said diluted and centrifuged blend of cellulose micro-filaments leaving the high-solids fraction for collection. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The process for improving high aspect ratio filament blends of claim 2 wherein the water of the dilution step b) has a pH of greater than about 7. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The process for improving high aspect ratio filament blends of claim 6 wherein the water of the diluting step b) has a pH of greater than about 8. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The process for improving high aspect ratio filament blends of claim 7 wherein the water of the diluting step b) has a pH of greater than about 9. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The process for improving high aspect ratio filament blends of claim 1 wherein the diluting step b), the fractionating step c), and the collecting step d) are performed sequentially. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The process for improving high aspect ratio filament blends of claim 9 wherein the sequential steps b), c) and d) are repeated at least twice. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The process for improving high aspect ratio filament blends of claim 10 wherein the sequential steps b), c) and d) are repeated at least three times. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the collecting step d) collects said high-solids fraction of said diluted blend of cellulose nano-filaments or said diluted blend of cellulose micro-filaments having an average length of greater than at least about 50 μm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the collecting step d) collects said fraction of said diluted blend of cellulose nano-filaments or said diluted blend of cellulose micro-filaments having a average length of greater than at least about 100 μm. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the collecting step d) collects said fraction of said diluted blend of cellulose nano-filaments or said diluted blend of cellulose micro-filaments having an average aspect ratio of greater than at least about 50. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the collecting step d) collects said fraction of said diluted blend of cellulose nano-filaments or said diluted blend of cellulose micro-filaments having an average aspect ratio of greater than at least about 100. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the collecting step d) collects said fraction of said diluted blend of cellulose nano-filaments or said diluted blend of cellulose micro-filaments having a average aspect ratio of greater than at least about 200. ### Claim 17 (depends on 2) The process of claim 2 wherein the water of the diluting step is initially reduced to a pH of less than about 6 and then raised to a pH of greater than about 9. ### Claim 18 (depends on 2) The process of claim 2 wherein the water of the diluting step is initially reduced to a pH of less than about 5 and then raised to a pH of greater than about 9.