Azlon Fiber

Azlon Fiber is a generic name used for synthetic protein fiber, or fiber made from regenerated natural protein (Regenerated Protein). Azlon has not received much attention and is not produced in large quantities.

The characteristics of this synthetic protein fiber resemble those of wool, but it is not as durable as wool. It provides warmth and softness, and is well suited to being blended with wool or other types of fiber to increase softness and reduce pilling on the fabric surface. It takes dye well and resists moths and mold well, but its drawbacks are low strength, poor recovery from bending, low cohesion, and poor resistance to alkalis and bleaching agents.

Production from milk whey is done by using a machine to separate the cream from the milk, leaving Skimmed Milk . The extracted cream is then heated to a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, and acid is added to cause the protein to coagulate into a mass, which is then washed to remove the acid and salt, and dried. The coagulated protein contains Casein (100 pounds of milk yields about 3 pounds of Casein). It is then blended into a uniform mass, mixed into an alkaline solution of 2.7% caustic soda relative to the weight of the casein, cleaned, and extruded into fiber, passing it into a bath consisting of 100 parts water, 2 parts sulfuric acid, 5 parts formaldehyde, and 20 parts glucose. This method is called Acetylation, which gives the fiber resistance to hot water and prevents it from having a smell resembling cheese or milk. The resulting fiber is cut into short lengths, about the same size as wool fiber, and crimped to resemble wool.

The properties of casein-based azlon fiber are that it provides warmth and is very soft, with low strength of only 0.8-1 grams per denier, which decreases further when wet. Its chemical properties resemble those of natural protein fiber.