Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Pretreatment of Cotton & Wool
Pretreatment of Cotton & Wool
FOR
COTTON AND WOOL
Submitted By :Anjali
M F tech-Ist sem
Apparel Production
Roll No. 05
CONTENTS
Processing of Cotton
1) Introduction
2) Impurities in grey fabric
3) Standard Process Sequence
4) Grey Checking
5) Stitching
6) Shearing and Cropping
7) Singeing
8) Desizing
9) Scouring
10) Bleaching
11) Mercerization
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
14
19
24
29
Processing of Wool
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
Introduction
Cropping
Scouring
Crabbing
Carbonizing
Milling
Bleaching
35
36
37
39
40
41
42
Bibliography
44
PROCESSING
OF
COTTON
INTRODUCTION
After the grey fabric comes out of the loom shed, for a layman it is a ready
cloth but it still contains heap of impurities, defect and need to be given
some physical and chemical treatment so as to make wearable. It is here that
the work of textile chemist begins.
This processing of grey fabric into a wearable cloth is mainly
chemical in nature and termed as wet processing.
The word wet is used because the processing involved in the
conversion of the grey fabric into the finished cloth is generally done with
wet treatment as in dry state it is troublesome. So the work of processor is a
vital and key piece in getting the cloth from the loom to market and finally
on the body.
A generalized component in the cotton fabric is: COMPONENT
PROPORTION
Cellulose
80-85%
Waxes and fatty acid
0.4-1%
Proteins
0.8-1.8%
Pectins
0.3-1%
Mineral matter
1-1.8%
Moisture
6-8%
Others
1-4%
(Gums and lignous substance)
Stitching
Singeing
Desizing
Scouring
Bleaching
Mercerization
The end use of the textile will determine whether all of
those stages are necessary. In some cases the stages may occur in a
different order or two stages may be combined into one. Above
sequence is only generalized one.
GREY CHECKING
When a grey fabric enters a process house then the first process that is
carried out is grey checking and mend able defects are removed. The whole
process is carried out on a fabric inspection table.
Various parts of a fabric inspection table are: 1) Beam stand: - Manually or automatic which holds the fabric beam on
it
2) Fabric beam: - It is roll of fabric from loom
3) Guide rollers: - They help in fabric movement and are negatively
driven by the surface contact of the fabric
4) Inclined plate: - This is the main part and is made of wood or metal on
the two ends and of glass in the middle, as illuminator works better on
the glass. It is adjustable and generally set at an angle of 45.
5) Rollers: -They grab the fabric coming and pull it and are positively
driven by the motor
6) Meter Reading device: - This device works for noting the fabric
length
7) Illuminator: - These are light sources either below or above the glass
plate
Whenever some defect is seen on the fabric then the flow of the fabric is
stopped by pressing down the handle at the lower end of the plate and after
mending the defect the machine is started by lifting the handle up.
The two main defects are mended at the fabric inspection table: 1) Loose ends: - The grey fabric contains several loose ends along
the selvedge of the fabric which are removed by cutting them at
the inclined plate
2) Stains: - The grey fabric may have some stains on it, which can be
removed by using stain removers of two types.
The two types are: a) Water based: - In this water itself is used as solvent
b) Solvent based: - In this some solvents are used to emulsify
the stains out. They are efficient but the particular portion
of which the stain is removed becomes highly absorbent
which creates problem in dying as it gets darker than rest of
fabric
STITCHING
After grey checking the next process in sequence is stitching. In order to
maintain the continuity of the process long length of the fabric is required
and the several length of the fabric of same type are stitched using stitching
machine.
Different types of stitching are done. These are: 1) Loop stitch: - This is the most common type of stitching used for
ordinary fabrics. The machine is stationary and the fabric moves.
2) Flag stitch: - This is used for delicate fabrics; in this a small piece of
fabric is folded and put in between the two ends of the two fabrics. It
provides strength so that fabric withstands the processing tension.
3) Narrow stitch: - In this type the fabric is stationary and the stitching
machine moves. This is done for export quality fabrics as stitching is
absolutely straight and crease free.
SORT NUMBER: - The different length of either same or different
quality fabrics are stitched and are marked with a number for
identification by yellow marker on both ends of a length of the fabric
known as sort no.
LOT NUMBER: - The total length of fabric of same quality that is
processed in single day or shift is given lot no. in order to identify the
fabric and is written in yellow marker which is not removable in further
processing.
SINGEING
After having done the shearing and cropping still very small fibers are
left out on the surface of the fabric. These are termed as Protruding
fibers. This process of removing these short fibers by means of heat or
burning is termed as SINGEING. Cotton and cellulosic fibers behave
ideally on singeing as they form light pale dusty ash on singeing as they
can be easily removed. In case of blend fabrics composed of cellulosic
and synthetic fibers, the pills are formed due to abrasion and singeing can
minimize this.
The protruding fibers if left in fabric may cause the following
problems: 1) They may cause capillary action during dying and hence they will
look darker than the rest of the fabric
2) In case of roller printing when the blade remove the extra color than
these fibers may cause the slippage of the blade and hence uneven
printing
3) They give harsh feel to the finished fabric
4) They also cause problem in printing of fabric.
There are some operations that must be performed before
singeing. They are: 1) The fabric should be completely dried before singeing by passing
over drying cylinders.
2) The anti mildew agents should be removed from the fabric otherwise
at high temperature gets converted into HCl and degrades the fabric.
Singeing is continuous process carried out on dry open width of the
fabric. Speed of 150-400 meters per minute is typical to avoid the
scorching of the fabric. The aim is to burn down the protruding fibers and
not the fibers locked inside the yarn, which are not protruding. The exact
running speed is largely determined by the amount of hairiness and
construction of yarn and fabric.
10
11
Tension devices are provided at the entry of the singeing unit and this
arrangement consist of a flat plate in between two rollers. The
arrangement can be inclined to increase the path length.
Brushing unit
This unit is used to clean up the loose fibers and yarns over the surface of
the fabric. For this there is simple arrangement with an adjustable roller
and a brush roller. Also the protruding fibers get raised up and singeing
becomes much more efficient.
Singeing unit
This unit is used to singe off the short protruding fibers from the fabric
surface. For getting the protruding fiber burn off a burner pair is used
with a direct flame. The fuel used is mostly LPG. The gap between the
flame and the fabric and the angle of flame depends on the fabric and the
extent of the singeing required. During the process the fabric gets a high
temperature and to avoid the chances of catching fire there is cooling unit
and exhaust unit. In cooling unit the fabric is passed over metal roller in
which flows cold water and bring temperature down whereas the exhaust
fans take off the exhaust hot air out of department.
Quenching unit
After singeing the fabric is exposed to the live steam arrangement
which just aims at putting off any fire if present on the fabric purpose. In
this arrangement a long cylindrical pipe with a very small slit is used.
The fabric is at lower temperature than the steam hence when
steam comes in contact with the fabric it condenses and brings down its
temperature.
Desizing unit
After quenching we go for the removal of the size known as desizing.
The process is carried out in desizing bath, which can be open or closed.
The temperature of bath is about 60 C
Nipping and Batching
Nipping is the process of squeezing away the extra liquid from the fabric,
for this the fabric is passed between the two rollers, which are arranged
such that the squeezed liquid goes back to the desized bath.
12
Batching is done after nipping, as fabric is to be stored for 6-8 hours for
proper desizing to take place. For this the fabric is wound over roller
made of rubber or ebonite.
DESIZING
13
Now once the fabric is singed off we have to remove the size that is
deliberately added on the yarns during the pre weaving processes so as to
increase the strength of yarn, as yarn has to under go great stress and
strain on the loom.
Size is nothing but a mixture of starch, PVA, softeners, gums etc. This
process of desizing is necessary otherwise the fabric will give varying
and uneven results in the dying printing etc.
Desizing is nothing but the removal of the starch by hydrolyzing it into
small water-soluble compounds and to get the fabric starch free.
Methods Of Desizing
It can be done in no. of ways. Some of the methods are: Rot Steeping
This is an outdated method of desizing. The fabric to be desized is kept
impregnated in warm water and then squeezed and stored in large pits for
about 24 hours. The fabric is given hot wash followed by cold wash.
During storage there is development of microorganism, which
secretes some starch hydrolyzing substances.
The advantage of this process is that it is very safe as no chemical is used
but the demerit includes the amount of large time and space for pits
required.
Acid Desizing
In this process the low concentrated mineral acids are used to hydrolyze
the starch, generally concentration of 0.5% is used.
The fabric is padded in the acid solution and then squeezed and stored
for about 60 minutes. After this the fabric is given a thorough hot wash
followed by the cold wash.
The main merit is that the process is very fast, efficient and economical.
But there is possibility of tendering of the fabric if acidity of solution is
high, also if any part of the fabric is exposed to the air during the process
then local drying of that area take place and increases the concentration
of acid at that part band degrade that part.
Alkali Desizing
14
Temp.
50-60 C
pH
6-7.5
50-60 C
6.5-7.5
60-70 C
5.5-7.5
a) -Amylase
b) -Amylase
In case of the Pancreatic and Bacterial enzyme there is 95-99%
of the -amylase but in case of malt extract the two types are in
ratio of 1:5 to 1:6 respectively.
Action Of Enzymes On The Starch: The work of the enzymes is to help in rapid hydrolysis of the starch.
Starch itself is a combination of two types of polysaccharides namely
Amylose and Amylopectin.
Starch (Insoluble)
Dextrins (Insoluble)
Dextrins (Soluble)
Maltose (Soluble)
-Glucose (Soluble)
Commercially we dont go up to last step shown but just restrict ourselves to
Dextrin (Soluble) just to avoid chemicals used and time as well.
Amylose is attacked by the -amylase in a very random way.
Similarly it attacks the amylopectin. The -amylase gets attached to one of
the end of the broken simple chain and keep on removing the maltose units
that are formed. -amylase is largely preferred for use than the other.
Oxidative Desizing
In this process the desizing is carried out by the oxidation of the oxidizing
agents like: 1) Sodium Hypo chlorite
2) Hydrogen Peroxide
3) Sodium Bromite
The oxidizing agents under optimum chemical and
temperature conditions liberate nascent oxygen, which help in the
oxidation of the starch into water-soluble form.
1) Using Sodium Hypo chlorite
This is also known as Grey Chemicking because NaOCl is also
used as bleaching agent.
For this process the fabric is padded in a solution of NaOCl
(2gpl) and stored for 1 to2 hour followed by hot and cold wash. The
chemical concentration, temperature and pH are to be maintained.
SCOURING
18
After the fabric is desized it still contains certain fats and oil and other
impurities, which are mainly hydrophobic in nature and reduce the
absorbency of the fabric and cause problem in subsequent processes.
This process of removing off the hydrophobic impurities from
a desized fabric is known as scouring. Circulating a boiling mixture of alkali
through it at a high temperature carries this out.
A series of reaction takes place in the fabric. These are: 1) NaOH converts all all the saponifiable oils into soluble soap and
soluble glycerine.
2) Proteins are all degraded into soluble amino acid
3) All types of mineral matters is dissolved
4) All dust dirt particles are removed by the detergents
5) Waxes are emulsified by the soluble soaps.
Chemicals Used For Scouring Process
1) Alkali like NaOH
2) Wetting agent like soluble soap
3) Sequestering agent which help in keeping metal ions away
4) pH stabilizer like soda ash
5) Reducing agent
The main actions, which take place during scouring, are
1) Saponification
2) Emulsification
3) Detergency
Saponification: This is a process of conversion of insoluble and water immiscible oil into
water-soluble product. The oil present in the size are all water insoluble.
When these are treated with an alkali say NaOH at high temperature the
outcome is not sufficient, this is because of the high surface tension of
water and avoids the wetting of the hydrophobic surface. For this
problem we uses wetting agent which have tendency to reduce the
surface tension of the water e.g. soap
In the presence of this the higher fatty acid are converted into fatty acid
and glycerine, glycerine is water soluble and fatty acid formed is further
reacted with alkali giving the soluble salt of alkali.
19
Emulsification: When we saponify the fabric we get the oils removed but mineral oils are
still present and are removed by this method.
Emulsion is a stable mixture of two otherwise immiscible liquids. We use
an emulsifying agent, which keeps the emulsion formed for a longer
time. When the mineral oil or waxes are emulsified they can be easily
removed by washing.
Detergency: The dust and dirt particles are removed by using a good detergent. The
detergent keeps the dirt and dust particles in a stable suspension in water
and does not allow them to settle again.
The scouring can be done in following ways: 1) Kier and J-Box when scouring is to be done in rope form
2) Open width pad roll system when open width treatment is required
A) Kier is the most often used machine for the scouring process in the
industry. They are horizontal and vertical cylindrical vessel in which the
fabric is piled up in the rope form and then hot alkaline scouring liquor is
circulated through the fabric. They are generally made up of iron and are
available in various capacities; generally 2-ton kier is used.
The kier can be horizontal or vertical and open or pressure kier.
The process of arrangement of the fabric in a particular way is known as
piling. It can be done automatically with the help of vertical trunk that
keep moving backward and forward to ensure even piling. Along with
this scouring liquid is also passed so that rapid impregnation fabric with
chemicals and water takes of place. This is termed as mechanical piling.
Another is done manually in which a worker is required but this is
not uniform and also scouring liquor cannot be poured at this time. Hence
it can also lead to seepage of scouring liquor and improper impregnation
and hence improper scouring.
The process of getting the fabric piled up, the liquor
circulating inside the kier is known as kiering. It consists of following
steps. First the fabric is being piled up and then the scouring recipe is
prepared. After pouring the recipe with the help of the ring spray as it
help in evenly spraying of the liquor, heating and circulation of the liquor
is done. Removal of air is being done, as air must be avoided.
It is done to prevent the tendering of the fabric. This is done with the help
of the air vent valve. Set the pressure to optimum level.
20
21
C) Open width or pad roll process is another method but here the fabric
passes in full width and hence prevents the rope markings on the fabric.
The time required for the processing is 90-150 minutes and the
temperature is 97-99C but the concentration of the alkali is 5% on the
wt of the fabric.
The fabric in its full width is passed through a trough, which
has a large number of the bottom and top rollers and is full of scouring
solution, after squeezing the fabric is moved to the reaction chamber. The
reaction chamber has two types of steam pipes. One is used for direct
heating other is used for indirect heating. The direct heating is used for
rise of temperature and indirect heating is used for maintaining the
temperature.
22
BLEACHING
The process of desizing and scouring make the fabric more absorbent. But it
still has the pale appearance due to the presence of the natural color material
like pigments etc. These pigments cannot be removed. The only way to
tackle these pigments is to decolorize those using suitable oxidizing agents.
This process is known as Bleaching. The process of bleaching gives a
sparkling whiteness to the fabric and hence makes it suitable for further
processing like dyeing.
A good bleaching agent should have following properties: 1) It should ensure a pure and permanent whiteness to the
fabric.
2) It should give level dyeing properties.
3) It should not cause any tendering of the fabric, which
cause the loss in tensile strength of the fabric.
Types Of Bleaching: Different methods and different chemicals are available to carry out
the process of bleaching. The various chemicals used are: 1) By using dilute Sodium Hypo chlorite solution at room
temperature
2) By using Hydrogen Peroxide solution at 80-85C.
3) By using Sodium Chlorite solution at boil.
4) By using certain compounds like per acetic acid
A) Sodium Hypochlorite Bleaching: Sodium Hypo chlorite bleaching is done by using Sodium Hypo
chlorite as a bleaching agent. This process is also known as Chemicking
Sodium Hypo chlorite, NaOCl is a salt of Hypochlorous acid
HOCl. NaOCl is a highly unstable compound at normal conditions of
temperature and pH. It does not exist in the solid form and is present in
aqueous solution. It have tendency to undergo self-decomposition.
3NaOCl 2NaCl + NaClO3
At the same time one other reaction also proceeds that is
2NaOCl2NaCl +O2
This oxygen helps in the oxidation, which helps in the bleaching
action.
23
24
Taking the bleached fabric and treating it with N/25 NaOCl solution
and the time in which the concentration of the NaOCl becomes half
the original that is known as time of half change can also determine
the effect of the pH on the action.
For the pH where NaOCl has strong oxidative action the time of half
change is less and vice a versa. This indicates that the action of the
Sodium Hypo chlorite is very strong between pH 8.4 to 4.6 and is
strongest at pH 7.
Conditions For Hypo chlorite Bleaching
a) Concentration of NaOCl: The concentration used should be just enough to give 2-3 gm/l of
the available chlorine
b) Temperature: The bleaching should be carried out at Room Temperature. The
NaOCl bleaching done at elevated temperature causes a rapid
oxidation, which may even, causes tendering of the fabric itself.
c) pH: The pH maintained is generally between 10-11.
Preparation Of NaOCl
Commercially the NaOCl is prepared by passing free chlorine
gas through a beaker containing NaOH solution. The reaction between
the two gives NaOCl.
2NaOH +Cl2 NaCl +NaOCl +H2O
This reaction is highly exothermic in nature and in order to
prevent any accident the temperature of the set up should be
maintained as low as 5-10C
Main Features Of NaOCl Bleaching: 1) It gives after yellowing that is it gives temporary whiteness
2) It is suitable for cellulosic fibers but cannot be used for wool, silk
etc.
3) It requires more water for washing
4) It is relatively unsafe
5) It cannot be used for bleaching the colored material as it may even
bleach the color
6) It doesnt have any scouring action
7) It is relatively cheap process
B) Hydrogen Peroxide Bleaching: 25
shows the light spots on the dyed fabric. So now a day Non Silicate
stabilizer is used such as Stabilizer NS.
The bleaching is carried out mainly in the following types of the
machines: 1) Kiers
2) J-Box
3) Open width Pad Roll system
Bleaching Recipe: H2O2
Sodium Silicate
Na2CO3
Sequestering agent
pH
Temperature
0.5-0.8% owf
0.5-1% owf
0.5-1% owf
0.03-0.05% owf
9.5-10.5
80-85C
Action of H2O2: When we bleach a fabric in presence of some alkali like NaOH
than a Per hydroxyl ion is released. It is this Per Hydroxyl ion that acts as an
oxidizing agent.
Main Features of Peroxide Bleach: 1) It give permanent whiteness and gives scouring action
2) It is universal bleaching agent that is can be used for all kinds of
fabric
3) It requires less water for washing
4) It is a safer and costlier process
5) It can be used for colored material as doesnt bleach the color.
MERCERIZING
28
Effects of Mercerization
1) Swelling
29
30
fig 5.
Graph showing the increase in volume of cotton fiber
Ways of Mercerization
31
1) Treating the material with NaOH and then stretching but this
process doesnt gives lusture and require more force for stretching
2) Stretching the material during treatment with NaOH and this
requires less force in stretching and gives better lusture.
Woven Fabric Mercerization
Mostly two methods are followed in the woven fabric
mercerization. These are: 1) The Chain Mercerization
2) The Chainless Mercerization
The Chain Mercerization
The fabric is dipped twice and squeezed in the padding mangle
and then passed through air passage over the cylinder, which ensures
the good absorption of the caustic. The fabric is maintained under
tension by the series of clips and then the fabric passes under water
spray to wash the alkali out again. The fabric may shrink if width of
the selvedges were not gripped.
The Chainless Mercerization
In this the mangle is replaced with impregnation tanks
through which the cloth passes in contact with he bowed rollers and
these rollers are also used in the rinsing stage to maintain the tension.
The curvature of the rollers is such that they pull the fabric in the
direction of the selvedge but at the same time the cloth attempt to
shrink in width as a result of the swelling action of the alkali. These
outward and inward pull results in the tension in the fabric.
fig. 6
33
PROCESSING
OF
WOOL
INTRODUCTION
34
Wool is animal protein fiber mainly obtained from sheep. The wool obtained
from sheep is not pure and hence we go for purification. The pure wool is
about 50-60% of raw wool taken and this quantity differs from breed to
breed.
The impurities in raw wool vary from 30-75%. The impurities mean
Pectins, dirt, wax and mineral matter etc.
COMPOSITION OF WOOL
COMPONENT
Keratin
Dirt
Suint
Wax
Mineral matter
%AGE
33
26
28
12
1
Wool and wool rich blends are not normally singed to remove the
surface hair. The problem with protein fibers is that when they burn
they form a hard black residue, which is much difficult to remove
from the fabric surface than the pale dusty ash that is formed in case
of the cellulosic fibers. The alternate method for removing surface
hair is to take it off by some mechanical technique known as cropping.
The cropping machine is fitted with series of helical blades, which
rotate at very high speed. The fabric passes beneath these blades and
the hair is removed by the cutting action created between the rotary
blade and the stationary blade beneath the fabric.
Several sets of blade are used so that if hairs are not removed
in single pass than other ones remove them causing the efficient
cropping. The process is slow but at the same time can be controlled
easily. This process can be performed again in the finishing also.
SCOURING
36
The scouring of wool is done in order to get rid of the wool wax
present on the wool as this may cause the trouble in the further processing.
The scouring of wool is different from cotton scouring in following way: 1) In the cotton the waxy material is less than 0.5% but in the wool it is
about 30-70%
2) In the case of cotton high temperature and high alkaline condition are
there but in case of wool the strong alkali cannot be used as wool is
sensitive to alkali and mild alkali is used to avoid fabric damage.
The wool can be scoured in many ways that is either in loose fiber
form, yarn form or in fabric form. The different machines are used
depending upon the state in which we are scouring.
Harrow machine
This machine is used for the open fiber wool scouring.
There are rakes that reciprocate and allow wool to move. During this
movement the wool fiber gets opened up leading to the removal of dirt.
The trough is filled up with a mixture of alkali and soap. The soap causes
the detergency action on the wool. The heavy material gets settled at the
bottom. The wool is then squeezed to remove the excess liquor. There are
four bowls in sequence for efficient scouring. The concentration of the
soap and alkali in these bowls is different. There is counter flow process
that involves the movement of water from 1st bowl to 2nd and then to 3rd
and 4th.This can be achieved by having different bowls at different height.
This mechanism helps in saving water and in proper scouring. The
temperature involved in the open fiber scouring is 50 deg Celsius. This is
most important process as most of impurities get removed in this process.
Tape scouring machine
This machine is so called because it carries out the process of scouring by
the motion of two felts, which are in continuous motion. This machine is
used for the yarn scouring of the wool. This carry out the scouring at
relatively milder alkalinity. The hanks of the yarn are placed between the
two moving felts.
Fabric scouring machine
The wool can also be scoured in its fabric form by using this machine.
The machine consists of large trough containing the scouring solution in
37
which the fabric lies in the rope form. Above the trough there is pair of
squeezing rollers through which the fabric in rope form is passed with the
help of guide rollers. The fabric is in endless form by stitching the two
ends together to increase the efficiency. The scouring liquor is made up
of Soda Ash and soap solution in which the fabric remains dip for most of
the time and then is taken out by squeezing the excess liquor which flow
back to box
Fig 7.
Diagram of wool
fabric scouring machine
CRABBING
The main problem that rises due to the scouring of the wool is
that the woolen fabric becomes distorted and gave a crumble effect. To
avoid this we go for a pre scouring process called as Crabbing.
The crabbing is nothing but a setting process in which the
various possible distortion of the fabric is all eliminated. Wool during its
pre processes undergoes various types of strain which when fabric is
relaxed then these strain develops distortions in the fabric. Shrinkage also
takes place, to avoid all the above problems we go for crabbing.
38
CARBONISING
This is the subsidiary process followed along with the scouring
process. There are several types of the cellulosic impurities like vegetable
matter present in the wool. These if not removed may cause problem
during spinning, weaving and even during dyeing.
The process of the removal of the cellulosic impurities is
known as carbonizing. Treating the wool with strong mineral acid does
this removal, which hydrolyze and then solublize the impurities giving
the pure wool.
39
There is dry and wet carbonizing. In the dry carbonizing the material
is exposed to the fumes of HCl acid in a closed chamber at a temp of 9094 deg. Celsius.
Generally we go for wet carbonizing in case of wool fiber form. We
take 8% of the mineral acid and treat the material in acid solution,
squeeze it off and dry at a temp of 80-90 deg. Celsius. The dry material
may be taken into crusher to crush the small cellulosic impurities. Then
the fabric is thoroughly washed and gives mild alkali treatment to
neutralize but this is not necessary as dyeing of wool is good under acidic
conditions. Mostly we go for batch carbonization.
MILLING
This is neither a preparatory nor a scouring process but more of a
finishing process. This process makes the woolen fabric more full and
compact. This process mostly done in fabric form and is fully mechanical
process carried out by the pressure factor. We can also combine milling
with scouring if the impurities present are high.
There are two types of milling machine that are available. These
are: 1) Rotary machine
40
BLEACHING
Unlike cotton wool cannot be bleached with oxidizing agents like
NaOCl. This is because these cause an after yellowing of the woolen
fabric and they also cause the degradation of the wool. But we can use
the universal bleaching agent like Hydrogen Peroxide. Sulphur dioxide
can also be used.
Bleaching with Hydrogen Peroxide: 41
Bleaching with Sulphur Dioxide: This is relatively old method. Here this is reducing agent used for wool
bleaching. This is also known as Stoving because treatment is given on
the stove, which is enclosed chamber on which the woolen material is
kept. Below we had the provision for keeping 2.3-3.2 kg of sulphur and it
was then burnt. This released Sulphur dioxide, which does the bleaching
action. The material is exposed for about 8 hours.
This type is not preferred because Wool does not get a durable
whiteness and color fades on exposure to air, light etc. The material also
gives bad smell. Also if any trace of Sulphur Dioxide is left in material it
may get oxidize to form Sulphuric acid, which cause irritative feel to the
skin of the wearer.
42
BIBLOGRAPHY
1) Technology of bleaching and mercerization
V A Shenai
2) Textile scouring and bleaching
E R Trotman
3) Textile chemistry
R H Peters
4) Introduction to Textile mercerizing
J T Marsh
5) The Motivate Series
43
Andrea Wynne
6) Understanding Textiles
Tortora
7) Introduction to textile processing machinery
R S Bhagwat
8) Bleaching Mercerization and Dyeing of cotton
Prayag
9) http://www.thesmarttime.com/Desizing.machines.html ( fig. 1)
10) http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/carbohydrates1.html ( fig. 2,3)
11) http://www.textileinfo.com/en/tech/mercerize/Page02.html ( fig. 4)
12) http://www.textileinfo.com/en/tex/mercerize/Page03.html ( fig. 5)
13) http://aida.ineris.fr/bref/bref_text/bref/angalais/bref/BREF_tex-fig.2.11
(fig. 6)
14) Fig. 10.4
http://aida.ineris.fr/bref/bref_text/breftext/anglais/bref/BREF_tex_gb55.html
(fig. 7)
15) http://aida.ineris.fr/bref/bref_text/bref/angalais/bref/BREF_tex-fig.2.13
(fig. 8)
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