Improving the Removal of Printing Paste Thickener and Excess Dye by Enzymatic Washing of Printed Cotton Fabrics

Abstract

In textile printing, it is common to use a printing paste containing a dye, a thickener, Other additives. Thickeners and excess dye must be removed by washing with water after the fixation of the print. This removal is made much more efficient by washing the printed textile in the presence of a suitable enzyme. The present study relates to the removal of CMC thickener by enzymatic washing of cotton fabrics printed using reactive dyes. This enzymatic washing not only improves the quality of the printed cotton fabrics but also decreases the harmful effects of waste water and environmental pollution with thickeners. Also, the enzymatic breakdown of thickener decreases the process time, as well as the amount of energy and water needed to achieve a satisfactory quality of the printed fabrics.