Efficient and Sustainable Bleaching of Cotton and Cotton/Polyester Fabric Using Alternative Chemicals

Abstract

In textile wet processing, caustic soda is widely used in the pre-treatment stage, serving as the primary chemical for bleaching and mercerization processes. The conventional use of caustic soda leads to issues, such as high water consumption and wastewater pollution. Therefore, this study explores alternative chemicals that could replace caustic soda while minimizing environmental harm. The research was conducted on 100% cotton (CO) and cotton-polyester (CO-PES)-blended fabrics. The chemicals used in this study include caustic soda, gelatin, acetic acid, oxalic acid, and ethanol. For bleaching, oxalic acid was found to be the chemical that provided the best wettability in both fabric types. The use of sodium hydroxide gave the most effective results for high whiteness in both CO and CO-PES fabrics. When color retention was evaluated, the bleaching process using gelatin gave the closest result to the reference fabric in terms of color retention. Oxalic acid made the biggest difference in color retention. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of using environmentally friendly alternatives in the textile industry and demonstrates the potential of chemicals that can replace caustic soda. The findings contribute to the adoption of sustainable practices in textile production and represent an important step in reducing environmental impact.