Indian Journal of Fibre & Textile Research

Vol. 38, March 2013, pp. 22-28

Reduction clearing of simulated disperse dyed PLA fabrics and their

tensile properties
Gulzar A Baiga
University College of Textile Engineering, B.Z.U 60800 Multan, Punjab, Pakistan
Received 18 October 2011; revised received and accepted 19 March 2012

Polylactic acid (PLA) knitted fabric has been subjected to various textile wet processes, viz. scouring, bleaching and
simulated disperse dyeing. Reduction clearing (RC) has been performed at various process conditions such as concentrations of
sodium dithionite and sodium carbonate, bath temperature and process time and a full factorial experiment is designed. The
results show that the pretreatment processes and RC parameters have pronounced effects on tensile properties of PLA yarns.
Statistical analysis of variance is performed which show significant differences at a confidence interval of 99%. Attenuated total
reflectance infrared spectroscopy of the PLA fabric is carried out to investigate chemical changes on fibre surface. Scanning
electron microscopy reveals that the bleaching causes the formation of slits in the fibres. Since bleached fibres are already
porous, the strength of PLA yarns is further decreased during simulated disperse dyeing and reduction clearing processes.

Keywords: Disperse dye, Fibres, Polylactic acid fabric, Reduction clearing wash, Tensile strength

1 Introduction surface cohesion PLA produces sound when fibres are

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a renewable and
biodegradable polyester material1. The biodegradable
materials are broken down into smaller molecules in
the presence of aerobic or anaerobic microorganisms2,
3
. PLA is one of the first melt spun aliphatic polyester
fibres whose raw material is obtained from annually
grown crops 4. PLA is prepared from lactic acid
monomer obtained from the enzymatic action on starch
5, 6
. Since PLA is a sustainable material, it does not
depend on fossil resources. Cargill Dow (now
NatureWorks) LCC, USA are producing PLA fibres
under the brand name of IngeoTM and have a
manufacturing capacity of 140,000 tons per year7.
Although PLA is being used in the medical industry as
suture, it is only recently that it has been knitted and
woven into textile fabrics. PLA possesses a number of
good properties that makes this material a possible
substitute for other polyesters, e.g. PET8. PLA is
lightweight, transparent to UV and IR, low specific
gravity, higher refractive index and good moisture
management properties. The disadvantages of PLA as
compared to PET include its high sensitivity to pH in
aqueous medium. Particularly in the alkaline region,
PLA loose mechanical properties rapidly at higher
temperatures when processed for longer times. PLA
cannot withstand very high ironing temperature. Due to
_______
a
E-mail: gabaig@bzu.edu.pk
rubbed against one another – scroopiness9.
PLA has been dyed with disperse dyes10,11. DyStar
recommends dyeing PLA at 110oC and pH 4.5-5.0 for
30 min12. At these process conditions, PLA does not
degrade appreciably. At the end of dyeing some of the
dye particles remain deposited on the surface of
fibres. It is necessary to remove these loosely held
dye particles, particularly in medium and heavy
shades, so that during laundering these dyes do not
bleed and tint the light-dyed and white clothes13.
Reduction clearing (RC) is the process that is carried
out to remove surface adsorbed dye14,15. RC is carried
out with suitable reducing agents e.g. sodium
dithionite in the acidic or alkaline pH region although
the later is preferably employed16. In the alkaline
region sodium dithionite has powerful reducing
action17. Reduction clearing may damage the fibres if
excessive amounts of reducing agent, alkali, high
process temperature or extended times are employed.
Avinc et al.18 studied the alkaline reduction clearing
of PLA and concluded that RC washing for 15 min at
60oC in the presence of 2 g/L each of sodium carbonate
and ‘hydros’ are adequate to achieve optimised wash
fastness. Burkinshaw et al.19 studied the effects of
water, ECE detergent and RC on the colorimetric
properties of disperse dyed PLA in the presence of
ultrasonic waves and concluded that ultrasonic waves
do not affect the effectiveness of either ECE detergent
 BAIG: REDUCTION CLEARING OF DYED PLA FABRICS & THEIR TENSILE PROPERTIES
or reduction clearing processes. Phillips et al.20 RC
washed PLA fabric in the alkaline and acidic pH. The
alkaline RC washing was carried out in the presence of
3 g/L sodium dithionite and 5 ml/L sodium hydroxide
(50% w/w) while acidic one was carried out in the
presence of 2ml/L Cyclanone ECO at 70°C for 20 min,
the pH being 3.5 in the later case. They reported almost
no deleterious effects on molecular weight or tensile
properties. There was hardly any literature available
about the detailed investigation of the effects of RC
parameters on the mechanical properties of PLA yarns.
The present work deals with the degradation of PLA
yarns during pretreatments and dyeing processes in
general and with reduction clearing in particular.
Greige knitted PLA fabric was subjected to scouring
and bleaching processes followed by simulated
disperse dyeing conditions. The pretreatment and
dyeing were carried out at commercial process
conditions. The scoured-dyed (SD) and bleached-dyed
(BD) fabrics were then subjected to reduction clearing
at selected process conditions. The parameters of
reduction clearing were reducing agent and alkali
concentrations, temperature and time. At the end of the
reduction clearing process, pH of the bath was also
measured. PLA yarns were taken from knitted fabrics
and tensile strength measured. A detailed statistical
analysis of tensile strength was carried out. Infrared
spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
were used to investigate morphology of PLA fibres.
2 Materials and Methods
2.1 Materials
PLA fabric of pique´ structure was knitted on a lab
scale knitting machine from spun yarn of count Ne 30s.
High temperature (HT) infrared (IR) dyeing machine
Labomat BFA-12 was used to process PLA samples.
Tensile measurements of yarns were carried out on
Instron 1122 interfaced to a dedicated PC. S 3000N
scanning electron microscope (Hitachi, Japan) was used
in observing the surface morphology of PLA fibres.
2.2 Treatments
The PLA knitted fabric was given a mild scour with
2 g/L Na2CO3 at 60oC for 20 min at a liquor-to-material
ratio (LMR) of 10:1 followed by overnight drying at
ambient conditions. Half of the fabric was bleached
with 5 mL/L hydrogen peroxide (35% w/w), 3 g/L
sodium hydroxide, 1 g/L Baystabil DB (hydrogen
peroxide stabilizer, BASF) at 90oC for 30 min at LMR
of 10:1. Fabric was then washed in hot water (60oC)
followed by neutralization with acetic acid (1 g/L) and
23
finally rinsed in cold water. All other chemicals were
of laboratory grade. Scoured and bleached PLA knitted
fabrics were subjected to simulated dyeing conditions
of 110oC, 5 pH and LMR of 10:1 for 30 min followed
by reduction clearing (Fig. 1). Factors included in
reduction clearing were sodium dithionite
concentration, sodium carbonate concentration,
temperature and time. A full factorial experiment 2k
was designed, where k is the number of factors (k = 4).
The experiment was full factorial of resolution V. Total
number of runs were 24, number of replicates was 01
and number of blocks were 2 with 4 centre points per
block. The blocks denoted the scoured and bleached
fabrics subjected to simulated high temperature dyeing.
2.3 Tensile Measurements
Yarns were taken out from control and each of the
treated knitted fabrics and then conditioned at standard
conditions of 25oC and 65% R.H before testing. Tests
were performed according to BS EN ISO 2062:1995,
using Instron (Model 1122) tensile tester with a gauge
length of 100 mm and at a strain rate of 1 min-1. Ten
tests were performed on each of the yarn samples and
the results acquired through desktop computer
interfaced to the testing machine. The data were
received and analyzed through computer software QT.
2.4 FTIR Spectroscopy
The attenuated total reflectance fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) spectra of PLA
fabric was recorded to determine the effect of various
textile processes and reduction clearing on functional
groups of PLA polymer. The ATR-FTIR was performed
using a Perkins Elmer (Model spectrum 2000). The
spectrometer was used in the absorption mode with a
resolution of 4 cm-1 in the range of 4000-500 cm-1.
2.5 SEM Analysis
Surface morphology of the PLA fabric was
investigated using scanning electron microscope.
Samples were sputter-coated with Au in Polaron
Fig. 1  Schematic profile of RC washing of PLA fabric
24 INDIAN J. FIBRE TEXT. RES., MARCH 2013
coating unit (Model E5100), followed by loading
sample holder in the Hitachi SEM (Model S-3000N).
Gun-to-sample distance was 8-9 mm and voltage of
5kV was applied to accelerate electron toward the
samples under high vacuum. Electron beam focusing,
image magnification and brightness/contrast were
adjusted to take the photographs. SmatSEM software
was used to acquire the photographs.
3 Results and Discussion
3.1 Mechanical Properties of Yarns
Table 1 shows the effects of various textile wet
processes, viz. scouring (S), bleaching (B) and
simulated high temperature disperse dyeing (D) on the
tensile properties of PLA yarns. Tensile strength of
greige (G) PLA yarns is 14.6 cN/tex. The data
presented in Table 1 show that strength of PLA yarns
reduces during commercial scouring, bleaching and
dyeing processes. H2O2 bleaching causes more damage
than alkaline scouring. Although scouring and
bleaching processes were carried out in the alkaline
medium, the later was carried out at relatively higher
temperature and in the presence of a strong alkali
(NaOH). Moreover, bleaching was carried out in the
oxidative-alkaline conditions while scouring was
carried out in alkaline medium only. It is inferred from
Table 1 that oxidative-alkaline conditions at high
temperature were deleterious to the integrity of PLA
yarns. The bleaching process decreases the
modulus/stiffness and elongation of PLA yarns. Since
scouring and bleaching decreases both tenacity as well
as strain, the energy to break yarns is decreased as well.
Unlike natural materials, PLA is a man-made fibre
and therefore does not require severe process
conditions during scouring and bleaching. A mild
scouring treatment would remove the surface deposited
dirt, dust, waxy and oily impurities. Table 1 shows
only 0.8% decrease in tensile strength of PLA yarns
during scouring. From commercial viewpoint fibre
blends are very important. When synthetic-natural fibre
blends are processed the synthetic fibres has to bear the
scouring and bleaching conditions of the natural
counterparts as well. If PLA fibres are blended with
Table 1 — Tensile properties of PLA yarns during various textile
wet processes
Level Tenacity Modulus Strain
cN/tex cN/tex % molecules that are loosely held on fibre surfaces.
Greige (G) 14.6 83.6 61.5
Scoured (S) 13.4 66.4 62.0
Bleached (B) 10.8 56.5 59.3
S-Dyed 10.2 62.8 60.3
S-B-Dyed 8.6 48.8 39.0
viscose or TencelTM fibres, pretreatments would not
damage PLA due to mild process conditions being
employed in the processing of polyester-regenerated
cellulosic fibre blends. Normally PLA fibres do not
require bleaching; however, if blended with cotton the
H2O2 bleaching severely damages the PLA fibres. If
the effects of scouring and bleaching on tensile strength
are to be minimized then either bleaching with
hydrogen peroxide should have been carried out at low
temperature or alternative bleaching agents e.g. sodium
hypochlorite and chlorites must be employed.
Ahmad21carried out a study on the bleaching of PLA
fabric with various bleaching systems and concludes
that sodium hypochlorite or sodium chlorite are the
most appropriate ones in terms of whiteness and tensile
strength retention. No doubt a material with initial
higher strength can better withstand the severity of any
post processing.
Polyester fabrics are dyed with disperse dyes at
elevated temperature in the range of 110 - 130oC.
DyStar recommended dyeing PLA fibres in the pH
range 4.5-5 at 110 oC for 30 min. The ANOVA of the
tenacity of G-S-Dyed PLA fabric shows that there are
significant differences in tensile strength at 1% level
of significance. The strength of scoured fabric
decreases appreciably during dyeing. The ANOVA of
G-S-B-Dyed PLA fabric was also carried out. Like
G-S-Dyed PLA, G-S-B-Dyed PLA fabric also shows
loss in strength and significant differences are found
in tensile strength at 1% level of significance. Unlike
scoured fabric, high temperature (HT) dyeing of
bleached PLA causes a massive decrease in modulus
of PLA yarns. These results show that during HT
dyeing strength of PLA yarns reduces appreciably.
Scoured and bleached PLA yarns show 12.6% and
35.8% loss in their original strength during high
temperature dyeing respectively. The inevitable loss
in mechanical properties of PLA demands careful
design and control of dyeing.
Since disperse dyes exist as dispersions, during
dyeing some of the dye molecules are deposited on
the fibre surfaces. These loosely-held dye molecules
lead to lower fastness properties and stain the adjacent
light and white garments during laundering. The
objective of reduction clearing is to remove dye
Table 2 presents the results of tenacity of S-Dyed and
S-B-Dyed PLA yarns subjected to various RC process
conditions and Table 3 shows the results of ANOVA
carried out on the data. The analysis shows that blocks
 BAIG: REDUCTION CLEARING OF DYED PLA FABRICS & THEIR TENSILE PROPERTIES 25

Table 2 — Tensile properties of PLA yarns at various RC washing conditions

Blocks Na2S2O4 Na2CO3 Temperature Time Tenacity Modulus Strain

o
g/L g/L C min cN/tex cN/tex %
05 01 50 10 10.0 65.2 54.0
01 05 50 10 10.5 66.2 55.3
01 01 80 10 9.3 60.5 52.0
05 05 80 10 9.2 58.2 52.8
S→D→RC 01 01 50 30 10.0 66.8 54.4
washed 05 05 50 30 10.2 68.2 51.1
05 01 80 30 9.1 60.7 51.6
01 05 80 30 9.1 57.9 53.8
03 03 65 20 10.1 64.5 53.0

01 01 50 10 8.7 53.6 50.9

05 05 50 10 8.7 52.7 51.1
05 01 80 10 9.0 53.4 57.0
01 05 80 10 8.5 55.7 52.5
S→B→D→RC
05 01 50 30 8.3 53.3 57.4
washed
01 05 50 30 7.9 48.3 55.8
01 01 80 30 7.3 48.1 51.4
05 05 80 30 8.0 51.5 50.6
03 03 65 20 8.7 54.1 49.9

and main interactions are significant at 1% level. The Table 3 — ANOVA for tensile strength of PLA yarns processed
effects of blocks are prominent which means that at various RC washing conditions
scouring and bleaching history of the yarns affect the
mechanical properties. The results of blocks presented Source DF Seq SS Adj SS Adj MS F P
in Table 2 are found to be in accordance with the afore- Blocks 1 12.4820 12.4820 12.4820 3053.28 0.000
mentioned results. The results also show that main Main effects 4 2.1632 2.1632 0.5408 132.29 0.000
effects are significant. Among the various factors of 2-Way 6 0.3771 0.3771 0.0628 15.37 0.001
RC washing, sodium carbonate and sodium dithionite interactions
3-Way 4 1.4028 1.4028 0.3507 85.79 0.000
concentrations and process temperature are important interactions
at 1% level of significance. Two-way interactions and Curvature 1 0.9307 0.9307 0.9307 227.68 0.000
three-way interactions are also found to be significant Residual 7 0.0286 0.0286 0.0041
in determining the tensile strength of PLA yarns. The error
modulus/stiffness and maximum strain of yarns Lack of fit 1 0.0286 0.0286 0.0286
Pure error 6 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
decrease at 80oC. Total 23 17.3845
Since HT dyeing severely damages bleached
fabric, only scoured-dyed PLA fabric is subjected to Table 4  Effect of temperature and sodium carbonate on the
reduction clearing. The stress-strain (S-S) curves of tensile properties of PLA yarns
scoured-dyed PLA yarns reduction-cleared at various [Na2S2O4 2 g/L, time 15 min, LMR 20:1]
sodium carbonate concentrations and bath
temperatures are measured and tensile parameters are RC Na2CO3 pH Tenacity Modulus Strain
temperature g/L cN/tex cN/tex %
calculated from the raw data (Table 4). The results o
C
show that at fixed alkali concentration, the strength of
PLA yarns decreases with increasing bath 40 0 3.3 12.2 78.4 66.6
temperature. At 40oC, well below the plastic region, 1 9.4 12.2 78.2 63.3
5 10.5 12.0 78.0 62.1
the mechanical properties of PLA are little affected.
At 60oC Tg of PLA, the tenacity decreases with the 60 0 2.9 11.9 77.7 65.4
increase in concentration of Na2CO3. There is little 1 9.1 11.9 77.2 64.3
drop in strength upto 1 g/L Na2CO3 but at 5g/L 5 10.5 11.5 77.0 62.5
(pH 10.5) the tenacity decreases. There is a little
80 0 2.5 11.2 77.2 64.1
change in strain and hence in work to break the yarns. 1 7.8 10.8 76.2 62.6
The bath temperature up to 60oC and sodium 5 10.2 10.5 75.5 61.1
26 INDIAN J. FIBRE TEXT. RES., MARCH 2013

Scheme I  Hydrolysis of PLA polymer

carbonate concentration of 1 g/L offer acceptable Table 5  Effect of sodium dithionite and sodium carbonate on
results. Above Tg, the amorphous regions vanish and the tensile properties of PLA yarns
the polymers have crystalline regions only as the later [Temperature 60oC, LMR 20:1, Time 15 min]
vanish at the melting point (Tm). Since glass transition Na2S2O4 Na2CO3 Tenacity Modulus Strain
g/L g/L cN/tex cN/tex %
temperature (Tg) of PLA lies in the range 55 – 65°C,
1 0 12.2 78.5 65.6
any increase in bath temperature would lead to
1 12.2 78.3 64.8
ingression of chemical liquor into the fibrous matrix. 5 11.6 77.7 64.1
Since the fibres are in plastic state the hydrolysis of 2 0 12.0 77.7 65.4
PLA would be multiplied around Tg and would result 1 11.9 77.2 64.3
in accelerated degradation of the polymer (Scheme 1). 5 11.6 76.5 62.5
We optimized the RC washing conditions in this work 5 0 10.7 76.2 64.5
from the tensile properties viewpoint. Avinc et al.18 1 11.1 75.4 63.8
have suggested the same temperature (60oC) for RC 5 10.9 73.2 61.5
washing at which optimized wash fastness properties carbonate there is little change in tensile properties,
of disperse dyed PLA fabric are obtained. At 80oC the while at 5 g/L sodium carbonate there is only 5% loss in
tensile strength, % strain and modulus decrease tenacity. At 5 g/L sodium dithionite the bath pH is acidic
appreciably owing to high temperature and increased that causes loss in mechanical properties. There is
amount of sodium carbonate in the chemical bath. On increase in tenacity at 1 g/L Na2S2O4 which decreases on
commercial scale dyes are stripped to correct for increasing concentration again. The results are explained
faulty dyeings. In principle, the chemical liquor as follows. In the absence of sodium carbonate, the bath
should penetrate into the bulk of the fibres so that pH is too low (2.3), while in the presence of 5 g/L
dyes residing in fibrous matrix are completely Na2CO3 bath pH is too high (10.5). At both pH values,
destroyed. Stripping of disperse dyes from PLA; PLA hydrolyzes which results in loss of strength. At 1
therefore, will require temperature higher than Tg. The g/L sodium carbonate bath pH is 6.0 – a value not too
previous discussion suggests that RC washing in the far away from 5 which is recommended for the wet
presence of 3 g/L sodium dithionite and sodium processing of PLA materials. It is concluded from above
carbonate each at 65oC does not affect much the discussion that these are not absolute quantities of
mechanical properties. Therefore, it can be inferred sodium dithionite and sodium carbonate that determine
that best mechanical and colour fastness properties tensile strength. However, from the commercial
would be achieved at around Tg of PLA. viewpoint acidic conditions are not generally
The tensile properties of PLA yarns RC washed at recommended, because it is the alkaline conditions that
60oC in the presence of various amounts of sodium are preferred during RC washing for most of the
carbonate and sodium dithionite were measured (Table 5). disperse dyes. The results show that PLA yarns retain
At 60oC PLA fibres are in the plastic region and good tensile properties upto 2 g/L sodium dithionite. At
therefore prone to hydrolysis unless processed in the 2 g/L sodium dithionite and 60oC, the concentration of
suitably buffered pH conditions. Since sodium dithionite sodium carbonate as high as 5 g/L can be used during
generates acidic products on decomposition, increase in RC washing. It is inferred from the above results that if
concentration of dithionite leads to drop in bath pH. To reduction clearing was carried out at 60 oC in the
achieve the desired alkaline pH, the required amount of presence of 2 g/L sodium dithionite and sodium
alkali is more than theoretical calculations so that the carbonate each, PLA yarns with good strength retention
acidic by-products of sodium dithionite are also would be obtained. If disperse dyes are to be stripped,
neutralized. At 1 g/L sodium dithionite and sodium sodium carbonate upto 5 g/L would not be detrimental to
 BAIG: REDUCTION CLEARING OF DYED PLA FABRICS & THEIR TENSILE PROPERTIES 27

the integrity of PLA. On commercial scale, reduction
clearing or stripping of disperse dyes could be carried
out at the suggested process conditions to save strength
of PLA materials.
3.2 FTIR Spectroscopy of PLA Fibres
ATR-FTIR spectroscopic results of greige, scoured,
bleached, simulated-dyed and reduction cleared PLA
fabrics are shown in Fig. 2. Since in attenuated total
reflectance mode infrared waves penetrate only a few
nanometers underneath the surface of fibres, the
chemistry of material surfaces can be studied. The
objective of IR study is to investigate the changes in
surface chemistry of PLA fibres that might have taken
place during various wet processes. On comparing the
IR spectra of greige and pretreated fabrics, no newer
peaks are observed, suggesting little changes in
chemistry of the fibres. During scouring, hydrolysis of
PLA occurs which results in the cleavage of ester bonds
and the formation of carboxylic acid and hydroxyl
groups. The spectra do not show any new peaks which
indicate no new functional groups. Bleached fabric
exhibits a slight increase in absorbance which might be
due to the higher degradation of PLA polymer under
alkaline-oxidative conditions. Peaks at 1746 cm-1 are
assigned to the asymmetric stretching of carbonyl bonds
in ester groups (-COOC-). A pair of peaks observed at
2983 cm-1 and 2930 cm-1 is assigned to stretching
vibration of –CH2 bonds. The peak at 1179 cm-1 is
assigned to -C-O-C- stretching of ester groups22-26.
3.3 SEM Analysis of PLA Fibres
Figure 3 shows the SEM micrographs of PLA fibres
subjected to various textile wet processes. Figure 3(a)
shows the greige PLA fibres. In the greige state, fibres
does not show any marked surface features. In this state,

Fig. 2  FTIR spectra of greige, scoured, bleached, simulated-dyed and reduction-cleared PLA yarns

Fig. 3—SEM micrographs of PLA fibres subjected to various textiles wet processes (5 kV)
28 INDIAN J. FIBRE TEXT. RES., MARCH 2013
fibres are characterized by smooth surfaces and well
defined cross-sections. There are some oily and waxy
substances on the surface which help during preparatory
processes of yarn and fabric manufacturing. Figures 3(b)
and (c) show the scoured and bleached PLA fibres
respectively. Scouring was carried at 60oC in the
presence of a mild alkali (Na2CO3). The scouring
temperature was kept around Tg of PLA. Therefore,
minor changes in surface morphology are observed;
however bleaching causes the formation of slits along
the axis of fibres. The bleaching was carried out with
hydrogen peroxide in the presence of strong alkali. The
high bleaching temperature and bath alkalinity
contribute to the degradation of fibres. The marked
decrease in tensile strength of PLA yarns during
bleaching as compared to scouring is attributed to pin
holes and slit formation in the fibres. Figures 3(d) and
3(e) show the micrographs of scoured and bleached
fibres after dyeing respectively. The micrographs show
that the fibres, already damaged during the previous
processes, become more vulnerable to damage in the
forthcoming processes. Since bleached fibres are already
rendered weak, dyeing at high temperature (110°C)
increases the accessibility of chemical liquor to fibre
matrix. Figure 3(f) shows the scoured-dyed PLA fibres
after reduction clearing. The fibres show few tiny holes
here and there. Figures 3(b), (d) and (e) show some
contamination/debris on the surface of fibres. It is
impossible to stop the degradation of materials;
however, their degradation can be decelerated through
intelligent process design and control. During chemical
wet processing PLA polymer is hydrolyzed. The
hydrolysis leads to the formation of polymer chains, of
random lengths, called oligomers; the later can be linear
or cyclic. After RC washing the fibre surface becomes
clean so that reduction clearing removes the hydrolyzed
products and oligomers efficiently.
4 Conclusion
Scouring of PLA with 2 g/L Na2CO3 at 60 oC does not
appreciably affect the tensile properties of PLA yarns;
however, the bath temperature above Tg would lead to
unacceptable fibre degradation. The bleaching with H2O2
at commercial process conditions severely damages the
PLA fibres. The alkaline-oxidative conditions are more
deleterious to the integrity of the PLA fibres than alkaline
conditions alone. High temperature dyeing causes more
damage to bleached PLA fibres than the scoured ones
owing to the former’s offering more accessibility to the
chemical liquor. Reduction clearing should be carried out
around 60 °C to avoid ingression of alkaline-reducing
liquor into the fibrous matrix. However, for stripping of
faulty dyeing, temperature upto 65°C would be
acceptable. The amount of sodium carbonate and sodium
dithionite that minimize strength losses are upto 5 g/L and
2 g/L respectively for 15 min. Reduction clearing
removes the surface debris and oligomers efficiently.
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