Skip to main content
European Commission logo print header
Contenu archivé le 2019-03-15

LOW ENERGY PREPARATION PROCESSES FOR TEXTILES

Objectif



SURVEYS OF TYPICAL TEXTILE PROCESSES SHOW THAT THE ENERGY REQUIREMENT FOR THEIR PREPARATION I.E. DESIZING (REMOVAL OF POLYMERIC MATERIAL USED TO STRENGTHEN AND LUBRICATE FIBRES DURING FABRIC PROCESSES), SCOURING (REMOVING IMPURITIES INCLUDING OILS, FATS AND WAXES IN A BATH) AND BLEACHING IS COMMONLY BETWEEN 10 AND 30 GJ PER TON OF PRODUCT.

THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT BY THE SHIRLEY INSTITUTE WAS TO DEVELOP A SEQUENCE OF SATISFACTORY PROCESSING METHODS, LEADING TO OPTIMUM LOW ENERGY ROUTES FOR THE PREPARATION OF COTTON AND POLYESTER/COTTON-FABRICS. THIS OBJECTIVE WAS TO BE ACHIEVED THROUGH A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION OF SUCH PROCESSING VARIABLES AS : SHORTER PROCESSING TIMES, LOWER PROCESSING TEMPERATURES AND COMBINING INTO A SINGLE PROCESS DESIZING, SCOURING AND BLEACHING (TO MAXIMISE REDUCTIONS IN ENERGY AND WATER CONSUMPTION). IN ADDITIONM PRE-STEAMING OF THE FABRIC (TO IMPROVE IMPREGNATION, THE FABRIC IS RUN COUNTER-CURRENT TO THE FLOW OF STEAM AND CONSEQUENTLY AIR IS DISPLACED FROM THE FABRIC; ON IMMERSION OF THE PURGED FABRIC INTO A SOLUTION, THERE IS INSTANTANEOUS AND UNIFORM IMPREGNATION), ACTIVATION OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS (TO ACCELERATE REACTION TIMES AT LOWER TEMPERATURES), AND FOAM APPLICATION WERE TO BE INVESTIGATED.

THE WORK HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT ACCEPTABLE LOW-ENERGY PREPARATION OF COTTON AND POLYESTER/COTTON FABRICS CAN BE OBTAINED. BOTH PILOT-SCALE AND COMMERCIAL TRIALS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY CARRIED OUT, THE LATER WITH A FULL-SCALE STEAM PURGE UNIT.
ACCEPTABLE PREPARATION OF FABRICS HAS BEEN OBTAINED. IN PARTICULAR, THE PROCEDURE FOR COTTON FABRICS IN WHICH THE FABRIC WAS IMPREGNATED FOR 5 H AT 40 DEGREES C, FOLLOWED BY WASHING-OFF AND DRYING. THE LATTER WERE THE ONLY SIGNIFICANT ENERGY CONSUMING PROCESSES, AMOUNTING TO AS LITTLE AS 3.6 GJ/TON. IN COMPARISON TO CONVENTIONAL PROCESSING THIS REPRESENTS A LARGE REDUCTION IN ENERGY CONSUMPTION OF BETWEEN 64 % AND 88 % AND LEADS TO ECONOMIES IN TEXTILE PREPARATION. ECONOMIES IN MACHINERY REQUIREMENTS CAN ALSO BE MADE BECAUSE THIS PROCESS ONLY REQUIRES A PAD-BATH, BATCHING FRAME, WASHING RANGE AND DRYING FACILITIES IN ADDITION TO THE STEAM PURGE UNIT.

ATTEMPTS TO DEVELOP A CONTINUOUS PROCESS WERE ONLY PARTIALLY SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE IT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY AN OPTIMISED PROCEDURE.

PRELIMINARY WORK WAS CARRIED OUT WITH ORGANIC STABILISERS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE USE OF SODIUM SILICATE AS A STABILISER. ON COTTON FABRICS, THE RESULTS FROM THE USE OF ORGANIC STABILIZERS INDICATED A BENEFICIAL EFFECT FOR SINGLE-STAGE PREPARATION, BUT FURTHER WORK IS REQUIRED. ON POLYESTER/COTTON FABRIC THEIR USE WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN SODIUM SILICATE AND FABRIC PREPARATION WAS SIMILAR TO, OR EVEN BETTER THAN, CONVENTIONAL PREPARATION.

Thème(s)

Data not available

Appel à propositions

Data not available

Régime de financement

Data not available

Coordinateur

British Textile Technology Group (BTTG)
Contribution de l’UE
Aucune donnée
Adresse
Shirley House Wilmslow Road Didsbury
M20 2RB Manchester
Royaume-Uni

Voir sur la carte

Coût total
Aucune donnée