A 200-ton-per-year production line has been established domestically. Non-toxic, anti-mold, antibacterial, flame-retardant, and antistatic, chitosan fiber is one of the few fiber varieties that naturally possess these five functions simultaneously. Chitosan, an important raw material for producing chitosan fibers, is a product obtained after deacetylation of chitin. Chitin, also known as chitosan or chitin, mainly exists in the shells of shrimp, crabs, insects, and the cell walls of fungi and algae plants. Globally, billions of tons of chitin are biosynthesized each year, from which tens of billions of tons of chitosan can be extracted. It is the second most abundant natural polymer compound after cellulose. Chitin is also the largest nitrogen-containing natural organic compound on Earth, except for proteins.
Unfortunately, despite the large amount of chitin present in nature, it is estimated that only 150,000 tons of chitin can be obtained worldwide each year, with only a few ten thousand tons actually being produced. According to data controlled by experts, the amount of chitin currently used globally in production does not exceed 10,000 tons, mainly used in medicine, cosmetics, health supplements, food additives, etc.
The shrimp skins and crab shells on dining tables can be woven into beautiful clothing—this is not a foolish dream. Moreover, in the future, materials for aerospace, bandages for wound dressing, surgical sutures, radiation-protective garments, and more may all come from shrimp skins and crab shells. As an important variety of bio-based renewable polysaccharide fibers, chitosan fibers derived from the vast ocean are increasingly attracting attention due to their abundant resources, superior performance, and the characteristic of being both regenerable and biodegradable products. After long-term research and application domestically, a 200-ton-per-year pilot production line has been formed and smoothly put into operation, with some enterprises accelerating the construction of a 20,000-ton-per-year fiber production line. The industrialization of chitosan fibers is just around the corner.
However, these countries and companies have not yet achieved mass production of chitosan fibers for various reasons, instead seeking related products from China. This has precisely created space for the development of China's chitosan fiber industry.
Compared with foreign countries, China's development and research of chitin textiles started relatively late. China began researching the preparation of chitin and its derivatives in the 1950s, but progress was slow. Initially, chitosan was used as a coating printing film-forming agent, then as a finishing agent and adhesive for formaldehyde-free fabrics. Research on using chitosan's excellent biomedical characteristics as medical material began in the early 1990s.
The 1990s was the golden age of research and development of chitin and chitosan in China. By the mid-1990s, hundreds of colleges, universities, and research institutions across the country were engaged in the study and development of chitin. In 1991, Donghua University successfully developed chitosan medical sutures, followed by the successful development of chitosan medical dressings (artificial skin) and patent applications. From 1999 to 2000, Donghua University developed a series of chitin blended yarns and fabrics, making various health-preserving underwear, pants, socks, and baby products. In 2000, in Weifang, Shandong, a Korean wholly-owned enterprise became the world's first company to mass-produce pure chitosan fibers, with a monthly output of 3 tons. In addition to Shanghai, manufacturers in Beijing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and other provinces also developed chitin health-preserving underwear or bedding products, which have been launched on the market. Among them, the most representative is Shandong Huaxing Group, which, through independent research and development, formed a 200-ton-per-year chitosan fiber production line with independent intellectual property rights, connected the downstream industrial chain, and realized diversified and series product applications. Hismer is the trade name of Huaxing's chitosan fibers, symbolizing Health mol.
Hu Guangmin, chairman of Huaxing Group, told reporters that the group has a clear understanding of the inevitable transformation and upgrading of the textile chemical fiber industry after years of rapid growth. For this reason, the company made early plans, "relying on water to eat water," focusing on Shandong's rich marine resources since 2006, starting to experiment with the spinning of chitosan fibers. Ultimately, the enterprise used acetic acid and sodium hydroxide as solvents, achieving non-toxic spinning throughout the process, obtaining national invention patents. In each step of preparing the spinning solution, advanced processes such as vacuum dissolution and centrifugal degassing were adopted by Shandong Huaxing; during the spinning and post-treatment processes, ultrasonic and microwave treatment processes were used to improve the fiber's properties. The dry breaking strength of Huaxing chitosan fibers reaches 1.5-1.8CN/dtex, with a dry breaking elongation rate ≥14%, linear density error rate ≤±5%, having good spinnability. It can be blended with cotton, hemp, modal, viscose, wool, cashmere, etc., to make various high-end functional textile fabrics; it can also be combined with medical viscose, polyester, etc., to make high-end medical and protective materials.
Chitosan fibers naturally possess five major functions. Overseas research on chitosan fibers started earlier, beginning in the early 20th century. As early as 1926, Danish Knwike spun chitin fibers for the first time. In the late 1960s, researchers at Japan's Fuji Spinning Company systematically studied chitin, discovering that these natural materials were widely sourced and safe, particularly suitable for making bandage-like products that accelerate wound healing. They also proved through animal experiments that this new material had equivalent or better efficacy than common antibiotics in treating infections caused by bacteria.
In 1980, Japan's Meiseiken Kogyo Co., Ltd. was the first to trial-produce chitosan fibers. In the early 1990s, Japan began utilizing the characteristics of chitosan fibers to produce antimicrobial and odor-resistant underwear and pantyhose blended with cotton, which were very popular among consumers. Later, Japanese fabric processing companies collaborated with Asahi Kasei Textile Products Co., Ltd., applying a chitin coating to the side in contact with the skin, developing materials that could both absorb sweat and repel water while allowing moisture to pass through. Japan's Fuji Textiles Co., Ltd. developed a high-moisture modulus viscose fiber suitable for infant clothing fabrics. This fiber incorporated chitosan with moisturizing and antibacterial components during the manufacturing process, inhibiting microbial growth and preventing skin allergies. Additionally, in 1999, South Korea's Chitin Company established a chitosan fiber experimental production line.