A high tenacity regenerated cellulosic fiber

A process for preparing a high tenacity regenerated cellulosic fiber having a tenacity of at least 4.5 grams/denier and elongation of at least 10% measured in accordance with ASTM D 3822, said process comprising the steps of:

• (a) subjecting a bacterial cellulose to a pre-treatment step to obtain a pre-treated bacterial cellulose having a degree of polymerization in a range of 450-2000, said pre-treatment step comprising treatment of the bacterial cellulose with a pre-treatment agent selected from a group consisting of an oxidizing agent, an acid, an alkali and mixtures thereof;
• (b) preparing a pre-mix by mixing cellulosic raw material comprising of 5-100 wt % of the pre-treated bacterial cellulose, and 0 to 95 wt % of an additional cellulosic material selected from a group consisting of dissolving grade pulp, recycled cotton pulp, reclaimed cellulosic material and a mixture thereof, based on total weight of cellulosic raw material with a solvent, followed by dissolution thereof in a dissolution equipment, to dissolve the cellulose and obtain a dope solution;
• (c) extruding the dope solution through fine orifice followed by air gap spinning and regeneration in a spin bath to obtain the regenerated cellulosic fiber.