Use of Cellulose

Cellulose is an important structural component of green plants which is, in the paper industry, used to produce paperboard and paper. For industrial use, this material is mainly sourced from wood and cotton.

Between cotton and wood, cotton is better than wood. The reason for that is cotton consists of over 90% cellulose while wood consists of 40-50% cellulose.

Industrial Use

Cellulose can be used in many fields such as papermaking, clothing, pharmaceuticals etc. Cotton, linen, and other natural fibers might be used directly or after being processed to make rayon. Microcrystalline and powdered ones are used as drug fillers and as food thickeners, emulsifiers, and stabilizers.

Cellulose Fibers

Scientists use this natural material, too. It can be a useful substance for liquid filtration and thin-layer chromatography. Another use for it is as a building material and electrical insulator. It is used in daily household items like coffee filters, sponges, glues, eye drops, laxatives, and films.

Cellulose, sourced from plants, has always been an important fuel.

Tissue Paper Industry

The main commercial use for cellulose is paper manufacturing, where the kraft process is used to separate it from lignin. Tissue production includes many kinds of products such as toilet papers, kitchen towels, disposable napkins, handkerchiefs, facial tissues and also kinds of AFH tissue products. The substance that gives these products softness is hardwood pulp which is made of eucalyptus and birch pulp. In addition to softness, it also provides the product with strength.

Even though cotton is richer in cellulose than wood, while making pulp, wood is the preferred raw source. The most famous variant of tissue paper products is the one that includes 100% virgin pulp. Virgin pulp is made only by using cellulose which means it does not contain any recycled content and is made directly of the pulp of trees or cotton. Papers and tissue papers that are produced with virgin pulp is categorized as high-quality products.