Checking the Absorbancy and Weight loss Date: 12 April, 2012

Of given woven desized fabric after scouring. TP-2031, Textile Chemical Processing

Table of Contents

Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………………………….1
Title ……….……………………………………………………………………………………………………..2
1. Purpose …………………………………………………………………………………………………2
2. Equipments and Materials ……………………………………………………………………2
3. Recipee(Chemicals and conditions)……………………………………………………….2
4. Procedure……………………………………………………………………………………………..3
5. Observations and calculations……………………………………………………………….4
6. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………….4

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Checking the Absorbancy and Weight loss Date: 12 April, 2012
Of given woven desized fabric after scouring. TP-2031, Textile Chemical Processing

To scour a given desized woven fabric and checking its

absorbancy and weight loss after scouring.

1. Purpose:
After desizing the woven fabric, its scouring is done to remove the three types of
impurities present in it i.e. added, natural and acquired impurities. Scouring is the
chemical washing process to remove such types of impurities. Among these impurities,
the added immpurities include waxes (during sizing), spill oils and grease. While the
natural impurities include waxes, remains of seed fragments, pectins, proteins etc. and
acquired impurities include machine oils, tars, greases, dirt, dust etc.
In order to manufacture a good textile fabric with perfect printing and color
shade, these impurities are necessary to remove before the dyeing process. The
purposes of conducting this experiment were following:
 To learn the scouring technique for a woven cotton fabric.
 To see how far the scouring removes the impurities and find the absorbancy and
weight loss of the fabric after scouring.
 To learn how to prepare solutions for scouring in large scale and testing them.
 To learn the technique for laboratory and industrial use.

2. Equipments and Materials:

o Desized Woven Fabric (Cotton fabric)
o Beaker
o Strirrer
o Oven
o Sequestering Agent (Chelating Agent)
o Wetting Agent
o 50% NaOH solution
o Water
o Precision Electronic Balance
o Stopwatch

3. Recipee (Chemicals and their Conditions):

Chemicals:
o Liquor To Good ratio:
The liquor to good ratio is the amount of liquor (water) used to prepare
desize solution for the given weight of the fabric. It is expressed as the L: R and ratio
is 50:1. It means that if 1g of fabric is present then the 50ml of liquor would be used
to prepare the solution.

o 50% NaOH Solution:

The 50% of NaOH solution can be used in the ratio 5% or 10% depending on
the weight of the fabric. In this experiment 10% of the NaOH solution (50%) was
used on the weight (o.w.f) of fabric. These grades can be changed depending on the

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Checking the Absorbancy and Weight loss Date: 12 April, 2012
Of given woven desized fabric after scouring. TP-2031, Textile Chemical Processing

impurities present in the fabric. In case of polyester the weight loss of the fabric is
more than that of the fabric made of cotton because the caustic soda cause pealing
of the polyester.

o Wetting Agent:
It was added on the ratio of 2% depending on the weight of the fabric. The
wetting agent increase the wetability of the fabric so that the scoured solution
applies and absorbs easily in the fabric.

o Sequestering Agent (Chelating Agent):

The chelating agent is the agent that removes the hardness present in the
water that is used as a solvent to prepare the scouring solution. It was added in the
ratio of 1g/L which means that if one litre of liquor is present then the one gram of
Sequestering agent would be added in the liquor.

Conditions:
o Temperature = 100 0C
o Time for dipping fabric in solution = 60 Min

4. Procedure:
 The desized woven fabric was first weighed on the precision electronic balance.
 The liquor ratio was calculated according to the weight of the fabric and some
amount of the liquor was taken in the beaker to add 10% of NaOH solution o.w.f
in the beaker.
 After adding NaOH solution, the 2% wetting agent was added o.w.f and
Sequestering agent was mixed on the ratio of 1g/L.
 After taking all the calculated amounts of chemicals in the beaker, the remaining
amount of the liquor was added and the solution was thoroughly mixed with
stirrer.
 The desized fabric was dipped in the solution in the beaker and the beaker was
placed in the oven for 60 minutes. The temperature of the oven was maintained
to 100 0C.
 After 60 minutes, the beaker was put out of the oven and the fabric was washed
with cold water and then with hot water so that the scouring solution remaining
in it would be washed away.
 When the fabric was washed with hot water , it was again washed with cold
water and dried under sunlight for almost 24 hrs.
 The dried fabric was then weighed to calculate the weight loss after scouring.
 The dried fabric was then subjected to the Absorbancy Drop test to find the
absorbancy of the fabric after scouring.

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Checking the Absorbancy and Weight loss Date: 12 April, 2012
Of given woven desized fabric after scouring. TP-2031, Textile Chemical Processing

5. Observations and calculations:

Weight of the Fabric before scouring (W1) = 3.51g
Liquor = 3.51 x 50= 175.5 mL
Weight of the Fabric after scouring (W2) = 3.39g
Sequestering Agent ratio = 1g/L
Amount of Sequestering agent = 0.175g
Wetting agent = 0.0702g
Amount of NaOH sol. (50%) = 0.351g
Weight loss of fabric = W1 - W2 x 100
W1
= 3.51 -3.39 x 100 = 3.41%
3.51
 Absorbancy (Drop test):
The absorbancy test was performed after the scouring of the fabric to check
the absorbancy of the fabric and to judge that how far the scouring of the fabric has
been completed. The type of absorbancy test was drop test in which a drop was fell
on the fabric and the time of its absorbancy was observed with the help of
stopwatch. The three concordant readings were taken.

Time of Absorbancy = 1.87 + 1.80 + 1.25 = 1.64s

3
Sample after scouring:

6. Conclusion:
The experiment conducted, scoured the desized material from the fabric by using
the caustic soda solution. The caustic soda removed the waxes and other organic
materials present in the fabric by their saponification. The removal of these impurities
increased the absorbancy of the fabric and the weight loss after scouring also tells that
the impurities have been removed from the fabric.

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