COTTON

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the
seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium in the family of Malvaceae. The fiber is
almost pure cellulose. Under natural conditions, the cotton bolls will tend to increase the
dispersion of the seeds.
The plant is a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world,
including the Americas, Africa, and India. The greatest diversity of wild cotton species
is found in Mexico, followed by Australia and Africa.[1] Cotton was independently
domesticated in the Old and New Worlds. The English name derives from the Arabic
(al) qun ,, which began to be used circa 1400 AD.[2] The Spanish word, "algodn", is
likewise derived from the Arabic.
Flow chart of pre treatment of cotton fabric:

All the processes of this stream are carried out in an aqueous state or
aqueous medium. The main processes of this section include :
singeing
Desizing
Scouring
Bleaching
Mercerizing
Singeing:

The verb singe literally means to burn superficially. Technically, singeing

refers to the burning-off of. Loose fibers not firmly bound into the yarn
and/or fabric structure. Singeing is an important part of pretreatment. This is
the burning off of protruding fiber ends from the surface of the fabric.
Singeing is the process is removing the hairs of fabrics or fibers. In singeing
process, we use three technique to applied it. Such as, gas flame technique.
At the end of this process, we will find, that the fabrics is smoother than
before and the fabrics wet ability is increase.
Technique of singeing:

Singeing Process is as follows:

To produce a smooth surface finish on fabrics made from staple fibers
first the fabric surfaces are brushed lightly to raise the unwanted fiber
ends.
Then the fabric is singed with or passed over heated copper plates or
open gas flames. The fiber ends burn off.
The fabric is moved very rapidly, and only the fiber ends are
destroyed.
As soon as the fabric leaves the singeing area, it enters a water bath
or Desizing bath. This stops any singeing afterglow or sparks that
might damage the cloth.
Figure of singeing M/C:

Desizing:
Desizing is the process or removing the starch or size the covering the warp
yarn using enzyme. Oxidizing agent, or other chemicals. There are three
types of technique in desizing and four method of desizing that has been
used.
Objectives Of Desizing:

To eliminate the water repellent nature of sized cloth.

To increase the absorbency.
To reduce the consumption of chemicals in subsequent process.
Technique of desizing:

Desizing Methods:
Enzymatic Desizing.
Oxidative Desizing.

Acid Steeping/Desizing.
Rot Steein.
Desizing with hot caustic soda treatment.
Hot washing with detergent.
Removable of water soluble sizes.
Atmospheric Plasma Desizing.

Enzymatic Desizing:
The hydrolysis of starch using enzymes under particular
concentration, temperature and duration is called enzymatic desizing.
Enzymatic desizing is the most widely experienced method to desize
the starch.
Advantages & Disadvantages:
Advantages:
No usage of aggressive chemicals: No damage to the fiber.
Wide variety of application processes.
Disadvantages:
Lower additional cleaning effect towards other impurities.
No effect on certain starches (e.g. tapioca starch).
Oxidative Desizing:
It is used to remove non-starch sizes that dont dissolve in water.
A variety of oxidants can be applied after padding the hydrogen per
oxide (H2O2) and steam for 2 to 3 minutes.
The advantages of oxidative desizing are supplementary cleaning effect,
effectiveness for tapioca starches but oxidizing agents may damage to
fibres.
Acid Desizing:
Cold solutions of dilute sulphuric acid (H2SO4) or hydrochloric acid
(HCl) are utilized to degrade starch and other sizes.
However this method has also disadvantage of bad affecting the
cellulosic fiber in cotton fabrics.
Lye (Caustic Soda) Desizing:
In this method fabric containing starch would be expanded under the
hot solution of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda -NaOH).
Caustic soda dissolves starch and form layer, can be separated.
Padding the fabric in alkali and stacked under 60 ~80 C for 6 to
12 hours, the desizing process can be finished.
Some Desizing Agents:
Ecolase LT
Finozyme -DX
Finocon FBOL
Enzme GT
Figure of desizing:

Scouring:
Scouring is the process by which all natural and additive impurities
such as oil, wax, fat, hand dust etc. are removed to produce
hydrophilic and clean textile material. It is one of the vital processes
of wet processing.
Objects of Scouring:
To make the fabric highly hydrophilic.
To remove impurities such as oils, waxes, gum, husks as nearly as
possible.
To increase absorbency of fabric or textile materials without physical
and chemical damage.
To produce a clean material by adding alkali. To make the fabric ready
for next process. To remove non-cellulosic substance in case of
cotton.
Scouring process depends on:
The type of Yarn.
The color of Yarn.
The cleanliness of Yarn.
The twist and count of the yarn.
The construction of the fabric.
The shade % and type of shade of finished product.
Objects of Scouring:
To make the fabric highly hydrophilic.
To remove impurities such as oils, waxes, gum, husks as nearly as
possible.
To increase absorbency of fabric or textile materials without physical
and chemical damage.
To produce a clean material by adding alkali. To make the fabric ready
for next process. To remove non-cellulosic substance in case of
cotton.
Scouring process depends on:
The type of Yarn.
The color of Yarn.

 The cleanliness of Yarn.

The twist and count of the yarn.
The construction of the fabric.
The shade % and type of shade of finished product.
Scouring process:
Batch process.
Semi continuous process.
Discontinuous process.
Modern process.
Scouring methods of Cotton:
Generally, there are two principle methods of cotton scouring.
Discontinuous (Kier boiling process or winch dyeing machine)
Continuous (Scouring in J or L box)

Main parts of kier boiler:

Cylindrical vessel
Mixing tank(liquor prepared according to recipe)
Multi tubular heat exchanger(heating the liquor)
Perforated false bottom
Circular tube(spray liquor on fabric)
Process: The working process in J-box can be divided into four
units. There are
Impragnaion box
Pre heater.
J box.
Washing unit.

Good scouring

Uniform scouring

Uneven scouring

Bleaching:
Bleaching is chemical treatment employed for the removal of natural
coloring matter from the substrate. The source of natural color is organic
compounds with conjugated double bonds , by doing chemical bleaching the
discoloration takes place by the breaking the chromophore, most likely
destroying the one or more double bonds with in this conjugated system.
The material appears whiter after the bleaching.
The aim of bleaching can be described as following:

 Removal of colored impurities.

Removal of the seed coats.

Minimum tendering of fibre.

Technically reliable & simple mode of operation.

Low chemical & energy consumption.

Increasing the degree of whiteness.

Bleaching Agent
A bleaching agent is a substance that can whiten or decolorize other
substances. Bleaching agents essentially destroy chromophores (thereby
removing the color), via the oxidation or reduction of these absorbing
groups. Thus, bleaches can be classified as either oxidizing agents or
reducing agents.
Bleaching agents

Type

of Bleaching Agents:
Oxidative Bleaching Agents
Reductive Bleaching Agents
Enzymatic Bleaching Agents

Recipe for Bleaching:

NaOH
17ml/kg
SOAP (DTC)
2ml/kg
STABILIZER
5ml/kg
H2O2
30ml/kg
Reaction time
25min.
speed
50-70m/min
Bleaching agents
Oxidative bleaching the bleaching agent is a chemical reagent
which decomposes in alkali solution and produce active oxygen.

The active oxygen is in fact the intrinsic bleaching agent as it will

further destroy partly or completely the coloring matter present in the
textile material.
Reductive bleaching the bleaching agent will destroy the coloring
matter by reductive reaction of SO2.
Bleaching agent:
Auxiliaries used for bleaching:
Stabilizers
Activators
Wetting agents/detergents
Sequestering agents
Anti-corrosion agents

Mercerizing:
Mercerization is one of the most important finishing processes of
cotton with a strong caustic alkaline solution in order to improve the
lustre, hand and other properties. It imports gloss to the fiber,
increases its hygroscopicity, strength and improves its dye affinity.
Mercerizing improves the reactions with a variety of chemicals and
elongation of the fibres and also improves the stability of form.
Mercerizing process consists in treatment of cellulosic materials with
concentrated solutions of caustic soda at a temperature of 15 to
18C.
Purpose of mercerizing:
1.To improve the lusture.
2.To improve the strength.
3. To improve the dye uptake and moisture regain.
Effect of Mercerization:

 Improve Luster.
Increase ability to absorb dye.
Improve reaction with a verity of chemicals.
Improve stability of form.
Improve strength/elongation.
Improve smoothness.
It has been shown that the increase in the luster occurs because of
an effect.
The cotton fiber do convoluted.
The cross-sectional shape changes.
Different mercerizing machinery/technology:
Knitted fabric mercerizing m/c.
Woven fabric mercerizing m/c.
Automatic hank yarn mercerizing m/c.
Chainlesss-padless mercerizing range.
Clip mercerizing m/c.
Open width fabric mercerizing m/c with caustic recovery unit.
Factors of Mercerizing:
In mercerizing followings are important:
Twaddle
Temperature
Tension
Time
Luster of yarn after mercerization: