2010-Development of a Novel Bleaching Process for Cellulosic Fibers

Development of a Novel Bleaching Process for Cellulosic Fibers

Changhai Xu, North Carolina State University


Cellulosic fibers such as cotton and regenerated bamboo contain natural colorants that
significantly impair their inherent white appearance. These natural colorants are commonly removed through bleaching prior to dyeing unless the fibers are dyed into deep or dark shade.
Hydrogen peroxide is the most widely used bleaching agent in textile industry. However, conventional hydrogen peroxide bleaching involves high energy consumption or long dwell time, and can also give rise to fiber damage.
Bleach activators are compounds that react with hydrogen peroxide to generate more kinetically active peracids in situ, allowing bleaching to be conducted at low temperatures and in reduced time.
Bleach activators have been widely used in the detergent industry. In more recent years, the application of bleach activators in textile bleaching industry has been reported as an attempt to minimize the problems caused by conventional hydrogen peroxide bleaching.
However, more research needs to be done on bleach activators for an efficient bleaching system that is commercially acceptable for industrial textile bleaching.