The fabrics used to make the clothes you wear, the sheets on your bed, and your best tablecloth all get coated with polyvinyl alcohol in the manufacturing process, and it's a good chance the chemical was made by Celanese.

That's because Celanese is the world's largest merchant supplier of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH). We produce PVOH at facilities in Calvert City, Ky, and Pasadena, Texas, and sell one of the most complete lines of the product in the world.

Since it was commercialized more than 50 years ago, PVOH has found extensive use not only in textiles, but in the making of adhesives and paper coatings. The largest global application, however, is for warp sizing in textile mills. Warp sizing is a preparation step prior to the weaving process. PVOH is an ideal polymer for this process because it delivers strength, adhesion, flexibility and abrasion resistance.

Celanese PVOH strengthens fibers for the high-speed weaving process

Textile mills size spun cotton and polyester yarn by dipping it into a bath of PVOH and water. The PVOH encapsulates the yarn to protect the individual strands during the modern, high-speed weaving process. PVOH is especially applicable to high-speed weaving, which allows manufacturers to remain competitive. The PVOH is then removed in a desizing operation, which usually involves dipping the woven cloth in warm water. This makes the woven product soft and usable.

Over the years, Celanese has become much more than a supplier for textile customers; the company is a total resource. The focal point is our Textile Center in Enoree, S.C., which provides a broad spectrum of technical services, R&D and sophisticated sized yarn testing, including mill trials that help to make customers' warp sizing and weaving operations better and more cost-effective.

Equally important, Celanese has played a major role in helping the textile industry greatly improve environmental quality. PVOH is one of the few 100% completely biodegradable synthetic polymers available in the marketplace, and it actually reduces biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in mill wastewater streams.