use of enzymes in textile wet processing

8/18/2019 Use of Enzymes in Textile Wet Processing

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Use of enzymes in textile wet processing

Written by: Fibre2Fashion.com

Enzymes have been around mankind since thousands of years. They are livingorganisms and have been used to carry out chemical reactions to make items like cheese, beer and wine. As it has become crucial to reduce pollution in textile processing, the

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textile manufacturers have increased the use of enzymes in various textile processes.Today, enzymes are widely used and well known for their non-toxic and environmentfriendly nature.

Enzymes are obtained naturally from animal tissues and plant resources but most of them are obtained from microorganisms. sing enzymes gives deep insight of all theaspects of textile processing, basic biochemistry, enzymology and how it is used forindustrial application. The use of enzyme is widely recognized in textile industry as eachenzyme is used to create specific effect in each textile process.

!oreover, it works in moderate situations and speeds up the reactions. The commonly used enzymes in textile processes are amylases, catalase and laccase. These are used to

remove the starch and scale down the effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide, lignin and bleaching textiles.

Enzymes are safely used in the textile processes like de-sizing, scouring, bleaching,dyeing and finishing. !oreover, enzymes are used as substitute of harmful chemicals which pose environmental risks and hence are biodegradable. The latest development inenzyme application is using cellulases for denim finishing and lactases to remove thecolor from textile waste matter and textile bleaching.

Uses of Enzymes

"ome important processes of textile wet processing which use enzymes have beendiscussed below#

$esizing# Earlier, fabrics were treated with acid, alkali or oxidizing agents to remove thesize. "ometimes they were soaked in water for many days which naturally gave rise tomicroorganisms that would cut down the starch. %ut both these methods were hard tomanage, time consuming and sometimes damaged or discolored the fabrics. &owever,this problem was solved by using enzymes as they removed starch without harming thefibres.


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"couring# 'n this process, dirt on the surfaceof the fibres like wax, pectins, fats and otherimpurities are removed. This gives the fabric better wetting ability, which in return helpsthe fabric to get bleached and dyed properly.

(hemicals like caustic soda are used for this process. Thus, not only it removesimpurities but also decreases the strength and weight of the fabric. Also, it releasesharmful chemicals in the waste water.

%y using enzymes in the new scouring process known as %io-"couring, all impurities areremoved and it keeps the cellulose structure of the fabric unharmed. Therefore, thefabric has higher wetting and infiltration abilities.

%leaching# This process re)uires lot of water, energy and chemicals. A new bleachingprocess is developed which not only reduces the length of the bleaching cycle but alsosaves water and energy. !oreover, after the fabric is bleached the remains of hydrogenperoxide is left in the wash which needs to be completely cleaned before dyeing. This isdone by a process called bleach cleanup.

'f traditional method is applied, one has to be careful with the dosage of the reducingagent. 'f hydrogen peroxide is not removed completely, it will result into poor dyeing.*ow enzymes are used in this step which ensures that peroxide is completely removedand little amount of catalase breaks hydrogen into water and oxygen. This reduces theusage of water in the whole process and the waste water is cleaner.

+arment ashing# Enzymes are widely used in textile washing and have replaced theusage of chemicals in the past years. Enzymes are used for different types of washinglike enzyme wash, stone enzyme wash etc.

$yeing# "cientists have developed enzymes which are extracted from fungi. Theseenzymes are used to make colorants for dyeing textiles and leather. The colorants have


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chemical features that allow them to stick to the fibers and eliminate the addition of chemicals that can pollute water while dyeing.

/inishing# The uses of enzyme in finishing processes are classified into two as given below.

The first one is %io-finishing. 't removes fibre hair and strands from the surface of thefabric. sing enzymes in bio-finishing gives dirt free and softer surface. 't also addsluster to the fabric and decreases pilling.

"econdly, enzymes are used for $enim finishing. The standard method of stonewashingused harsh pumice stones to fade the denim. %ut now it has been replaced by usingspecial cellulose enzyme to fade the denim. This process is known as %io- stonewashing. As a result, less damage is done to the denim, machine and the environment.

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Textile industry has been turning to eco-friendly methods as it gives rise to ma0orenvironmental problems. &ence, microbial enzymes have taken an important place inthe textile processes. +oing by facts, enzymes have been used in the textile processessince 1234. Today, a range of enzymes like cellulase, lipase, catalase and protease areused in many textile applications such as degumming, silk or wool finishing and othersdiscussed above.

The cellulase enzyme is used as it gives great finish to rayon, linen, cotton knits and woven fabrics. At present, cellulases are included in many detergents for removingsurface hair, depilling and maintaining the lucidity of the color.

Benefits of enzymes in textile wet processes:

/irstly, the finishing agents and fibers that are produced using enzymes are eco-friendly.'t is an economical technology that saves water and energy. They have low emissionsand make use of renewable resources. The textile effluents have high level of %5$


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6%iochemical oxygen demand78(5$ 6(hemical oxygen demand7. &owever, usingenzymes in textile processes considerably changes the )uality of effluents.

The main reason of using enzymes in textile applications are the growing environmentalthreats due to disposal of polluted waste water or releasing harmful chemicals in air and water. Enzymatic processes effectively reduce %5$8(5$ and remove or decolorize dyesin the waste water.

!oreover, microbial enzymes have the ability of degrading azo dyes which will be very useful to the textile industry. The use of enzymes in textile industry is a sign of promoting eco-friendly technology. %esides, it enhances the )uality of the final product.

To conclude, one can affirm that the use of enzymes has largely benefited textileprocessing and is eco-friendly. There are 4 known enzymes but only around 43 areusually used in the textile industry. Therefore, further research is re)uired for thedevelopment of commercial enzymes and for finding new enzyme producing microorganisms.

References:

1. Textilelearner.blogspot.in

. 'ndiamart.com

9. :epositorium.sdum.uminho.pt

;. Eprints.ugd.edu.mk

Image Courtesy:

1. Trimax-lab.blogspot.com


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. "pecchemonline.com

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use of enzymes in textile wet processing

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