http://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/chem/202507/t20250714_1047317.shtml

http://english.ipe.cas.cn/Newsroom/ResearchNews/202103/t20210303_264897.html

The CAS Institute of Process Engineering has developed a large-scale production of regenerated cellulose fibers using ionic liquids.

By eliminating the need for carbon disulfide and NMMO in the classical viscose process and employing instead non-volatile, stable ionic liquids, the entire process achieves near-zero emissions, with no discharge of wastewater, waste gas, or solid waste.

The successful commercialization follows more than a decade of research and development. The IPE team tackled key challenges in ionic liquid design and preparation, cellulose dissolution, spinning process optimization, solvent recovery, and system integration. The technology was validated through successive scaling stages, moving from lab- and ton-scale trials to a 100-ton demonstration, and finally to a continuous, stable 1,000-ton production line. The resulting filament products meet international quality standards for fineness, tensile strength, elongation, and uniformity.