Fiber
Cellulose acetate fiber is one of the earliest synthetic fibers and is based on cotton or tree pulp cellulose ("biopolymers"). These "cellulosic fibers" have been replaced in many applications by cheaper petro-based fibers (nylon and polyester) in recent decades.
It was invented by two Swiss brothers, Doctors Camille and Henri Dreyfus, who originally began chemical research in a shed behind their father's house in Basel, Switzerland. In 1905, Camille and Henri developed a commercial process to manufacture cellulose acetate. The Dreyfus brothers initially focused on cellulose acetate film, which was then widely used in celluloid plastics and film. By 1913, Camille and Henri's studies and experiments had produced excellent laboratory samples of continuous filament acetate yarn. In 1918 acetate fiber was first manufactured in quantity at the British Celanese plant in Spondon, Derbyshire. In 1924, the first commercial acetate filament was spun in the United States and trademarked as Celanese.
Trade names for acetate include Acele, Avisco, Celanese, Chromspun and Estron.
Read more about this topic: Cellulose Acetate
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