Technology of Textile Preparation and

Finishing
(TXL141; 3-0-0; 3 credits)

SCOURING

Scouring
Scouring is an important pretreatment stage especially for natural
fibres which tend to have a significance presence of natural
impurities such as oil, wax, fat, hand dust etc. They are removed to
produce hydrophilic and clean textile material.
Objective:
To reduce the amount of impurities sufficiently to obtain level results in
dyeing & finishing operations by bringing the substrate to a highly
absorbent state.

Hence the emphasis is on removal of hydrophobic impurities

Impurities in Cotton
Impurities

Percentage (%)

Waxes

0.4-1%

Nitrogenous Matter
(Proteins)
Pectic Matter

1-2.8%

Minerals

1-1.8%

Motes (seed coat fragments)

Natural Coloring Matter
Added

0.4-1%

Variable
Lubricants/Knitting oils, grease
stains

Scouring Systems for Cotton fibres

The wax is present in the outermost layer of cotton fibres.

It is non-absorbent in its natural state.

Wax present on a fibre is low (0.4- 1%)

It is not easy to remove.

There are basically three scouring systems for cotton:
Conventional system
Solvent based system
Enzyme based system

Conventional System
Chemicals used in Scouring process:
Different Agent

Descriptions

Alkali

Mainly Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sometimes mix

of NaOH and Na2CO3 (washing soda)

Wetting agent

To reduce the surface tension of scouring liquor so

as to wet out the goods uniformly, generally anionic
surfactants are used.

Emulsifier

To emulsify non emulsifiable wax, generally

nonionic surfactants are used.

How are the impurities removed ?

Impurities

Mechanism of removal

Fats and waxes

Saponification: The saponifiable parts of waxes (fatty acid,

glycerides, and esters) are converted in to soap.
Emulsification: The non-saponifiable parts of the waxes
such as alcohols and hydrocarbons are emulsified by the soap
formed.

Pectin and related

substances

Pectins are converted to water soluble salts of pectic or metapectic acid

How are the impurities removed ?

Impurities

Mechanism of removal

Proteins and
Amino acids

Proteins are hydrolysed with the formation of soluble

sodium salts of amino acid.
Amino compounds are hydrolyzed to ammonia by
alkali.

Hemicelluloses

Dissolution: Hemicelluloses with low DP are

dissolved in NaOH

Minerals and
heavy metals

Motes

Partially dissolve in NaOH

By use of sequestering or chelating agents.
By producing more soluble salt e.
demineralisation

g.

acid

Cellulose of low crystallinity swell in alkali and

became sodium cellulosate , water soluble.
Residual motes are destroyed in bleaching.

A hemicellulose (also known as polyose) is any of several heteropolymers (matrix

polysaccharides), such as arabinoxylans, present along with cellulose in almost all plant cell
walls.
While cellulose is crystalline, strong, and resistant to hydrolysis, hemicellulose has a random,
amorphous structure with little strength. It is easily hydrolyzed by dilute acid or base as well
as myriad hemicellulase enzymes

Mechanism of Saponification
Wax, fats, oils and lubricants are esters in the form of triglycerides.
The triglycerides form glycerin and soap when reacted with NaOH .

Soap (water soluble)

Glycerol (miscible in water)

Soap also acts as a surfactant

Hence fat/oil forms glycerol (miscible in water) and soap

(RCOONa).

Soap is soluble in water and acts as a surfactant to reduce the

surface tension of scouring liquor.

However, since the amount of saponifiable matter present in cotton

may be very low (< 0.5%) one has do make additions of wetting
agents in the liquor.

Mechanism of Emulsification
An emulsion is a dispersion of two immiscible liquids.

Conventional Scouring Recipe

Chemicals

Amount

NaOH

4% owf for normal fabric.

6% owf for heavier fabric

Wetting Agent

1 3 gpl

Emulsifying
agent

Non-ionic surfactant (1-3 gpl)

Temperature

130oC

Solvent System
Developed in 1970s in Europe and given up towards the end of 70s.
Certain organic solvents dissolve oils, fats and waxes and these
solvents can be used to purify textiles.
Removal of impurities by solvent dissolution is called Extraction.
Suitable Solvents:
Trichloro ethylene (B.P. 121oC, Non-flammable)
Trichloroethylene (TCE)

Perchloro ethylene (B.P. 87oC, Non-flammable)

Perchloroethylene (PCE)

Solvent System
Advantages:
Good solvents for cotton wax.
Removal of wax at room temperature.
Removal of solvent from fabric more favorable due to low specific
heat of solvent.
Chlorinated solvents are non flammable.
Disadvantages:

The economy of the process depends on the recovery of solvent.

Very low amount of wax is removed with the help of large amount
solvent.

Hence solvent assisted scouring was developed.

Solvent Assisted Scouring

The system had following components:
9 Solvent (PERC)
9 Wetting agent (Pine oil)
9 Emulsifier
Transparent mixture of all three produced with same HLB values.
HLB Value 13- 13.5 for all the components.

4% concentration of the above recipe used for scouring.

The recipe is pH independent hence could be combined with

either desizing or bleaching.

Enzymatic Scouring
Greek word enzymos, which means
in the cell or ferments.
Enzymes are very large, complex,
protein molecules consisting of amino
acid.
Bio-catalysts, not consumed in the
reaction.
Substrate specific, acts under narrow
range of conditions of temperature,
pH and agitation.

Enzymatic Scouring

Possibilities of impurity distribution:

The proteins, pectins and waxes are present as distinct layers in
the cuticle.
The matrix of pectins and proteins is covered by a micropours
thin layer of waxes.

Mechanism of Pectinases on Cotton surfaces

Pectinases penetrate the cotton cuticle through cracks or micro

pores.
Pectic substances are hydrolyzed with the aid of pectinases.
Link between the cuticle and the cellulose body breaks,
absorbent fibres formed.

Commercial product (Scourzyme L)

Alkaline pectinase: The removal of non-cellulosic components
from fabric is done (scouring).
Enzyme product
Scourzyme L

Temp.
(C)
50-65

pH
7.5-9.0

Continuous Pad-roll
+/-

Excellent: +++
Good: +
Possible under certain conditions: +/-

+++

Jet, jig,
winch
+++

Machinary
Conventionally the following machines have been used for scouring.
9 Pressure kier (batch system)
9 J-BOX (continuous system)
9 Vapor loc System (continuous)

Pressure kier (Batch System)

Kier, closed vessel in which the desized fabric is heated at high
temperatures for prolonged time.

Conditions

Range

M:L Ratio

1:3

NaOH
Concentration

10 gpl

Temperature

130oC

Time

6-10 hr

J-Box (Continues System)

It is a continuous system

Fabric is fed from one end and the scoured

fabric comes out from the other end.

The capacity is such that sufficient

residence time, allowed inside the machine
for degradation and removal of impurities.

Inside temperature 100oC

Saturation of fabric with recipe before

treatment in the J-Box.

Time 40 60 min.

Vapor lock system (Continues System)

9 A continuous system, pressure maintained inside the system.
9 Shorter treatment times at higher processing speeds.
9

Saturation of fabric with NaOH + W.A. solution.

Pressure inside the chamber 30 lb/in2

Temperature 134oC

9 Time 90 120 sec.

Assessment of scouring efficiency

9 Practical tests of absorbency
9 Measurements of
(a) Weight loss
(b) Protein content
(c) Residual wax content
(d) Methylene blue absorption (removal of pectic substances)

Test of Absorbency
Sinking time test (AATCC Test Method 17-1994)
A hank of known weight forming a
loop of 45.7 cm is tied with a flat
cylindrical plate of small defined
weight called sinker.
The sinker is attached to the hank with

Position of skein before and after

sinking

the help of a hook weighing about 3 g.

It is then dropped slowly on water.
The time required by the hank to sink
is recorded as sinking time.

Hook for use in test of wetting

agents

Test of Absorbency
Drop test:
9 Water drops are allowed to fall by
gravity from a burette placed at a
certain height from the fabric
surface.
9 The fabric is placed straight on a
table without any creases.
9 The time required for the drops to
collapse is noted as wetting time.

Degradation of Cotton
Copper number, a measure of the reducing groups present in
cellulose.
Carboxyl group content.
Cuprammonium fluidity, which is a measure of molecular
chain length of cellulose.
Tensile strength of the cotton material before and after
scouring.

Copper Number

Copper Number, defined as grams of cupric copper reduced to

cuprous oxide by 100 g of cellulose under standard conditions of
boiling in alkaline medium.
9 The formed cuprous oxide is dissolved in a solution of iron
alum and sulphuric acid for reducing

an equivalent

amount of iron to the ferrous state.

9

The reduced iron is then determined by titration with a

standard solution of ceric ammonium sulphate.

Copper Number

V is the ml of ceric ammonium sulphate solution consumed after

deducting blank reading
N is the normality of ceric ammonium sulphate solution
W is the weight of the bone dry cellulose sample
Substate

Copper number

Pure cellulose

~ 0.05

Raw cotton

~ 0.9

Well-scoured and bleached cotton > 0.3

Regenerated fibre

> 1.2

Cuprammonium Fluidity
9 The degradation, in terms of reduction of the degree of
polymerization, can be assessed by measuring fluidity.
9 The DP of a polymer is directly proportional to the viscosity
of its solution.
9 Unbleached cotton shows a fluidity of about two.
9 Bleached cotton with a fluidity of five or less is accepted
commercially.
9 The standard unbleached viscose has a fluidity of about ten.

Others Tests
Physical testing

Tensile strength, bursting strength and abrasion resistance, Tear

strength

Results influenced by both fabric structure and chemical damage.

Staining tests

Carboxyl groups in oxidized cellulose resist staining with C.I.

Direct Blue 1 or give increased uptake of C.I. Basic Blue 9.

Harrison test

The oxycellulose immersed in a boiling alkaline silver nitrate

solution.

Brown to black deposits of silver on the substrate.