Integrated enzymatic and chemical treatment for single-stage preparation of cotton fabrics

Starch sized 100% cotton woven fabrics need desizing, scouring and bleaching treatments prior to coloration and finishing. Traditionally, alpha-amylase-based enzymatic desizing and combined scouring and bleaching with an alkali, surfactant and H ₂ O ₂ are used. Constant research is conducted on combining the desizing, scouring and bleaching processes into a single step by many researchers. This paper aims at combining enzymatic desizing and alkaline H ₂ O ₂ scouring cum bleaching with a surfactant and stabilizer. The treatment resulted in efficient desizing, scouring and bleaching, leading to excellent size removal, absorbency, seed/mote removal and whiteness index levels, and comparable tensile and tear strength levels to that of the two-step process. The dyeability aspects were comparable in terms of surface color strength ( K/ S), color difference ( ΔE) and fastness ratings. Around 50–75% savings in water, energy, power, time and effluent generation were reported. The chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, total dissolved solids, pH and turbidity values of the resulting effluent were found to be remarkably lower. The technology was also tested industrially and found to be successful.