Page 164 - Advances in Textile Biotechnology

Enzymatic versus chemical processing of cotton 145

method, but progress on solving certain problems in bioscouring has been
limited. Bleaching by enzymatic means has had attention but no industrial
methods in this area have been put forward.
For bioscouring, pectate lyases can defi nitely provide the required prop-
erties of water absorption to cotton yarns and fabrics, but the time necessary
for the reactions has thus far prevented their use in continuous systems
where fabrics move through the chemistry quickly. The use of pectate lyases
for knitting yarns and fabric in exhaust systems has been demonstrated and
is being used in Asia. There is also some success in using the pectinases for
wovens in certain kinds of semi-continuous systems. Nevertheless, the lack
of a method to remove and/or decolorize seed coat fragments limits the
bioscouring systems to yarns and fabrics that will be dyed deeper colors.
Despite the problems alluded to, there is reason for optimism regarding
full development of enzymatic preparation systems. The research on com-
bining cutinases with pectinases to optimize cotton wax removal in shorter
processing times, the application of energy (both mechanical and ultra-

sonic) to significantly speed up the reaction time, and the work with mix-
tures of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes derived from solid-state
fermentation to attack the seed coat fragment removal problem all show
promise for changing the perceived roadblocks to wider implementation of
bio-preparation. To efforts of these research initiatives can be added the
fact of increasing interest by the public in textiles that can credibly claim
to have less environmental impact, both in effluent treatment needed and

in energy use.

6.7 References

aatcc technical manual (2009), ‘Absorbency of Textiles’, Test Method 79-2007,
101–102.
agrawal p b (2005), ‘The performance of cutinase and pectinase in cotton scouring’,
PhD Dissertation, University of Twente, The Netherlands.
agrawal p b, klug-satner v a, gubitz g m, lenting h b m and warmoeskerken m
c g (2007), ‘Wax removal for accelerated cotton scouring with alkaline pectinase’,
Biotech J, 2, 306–315.
agrawal p b, nierstrasz v a and warmoeskerken m m c g (2008), ‘Role of mechan-
ical action in low-temperature cotton scouring with F. solani pisi cutinase and
pectate lyase’, Enzyme Microb Technol, 42, 473–482.
bach e and schollmeyer e (1992), Textilveredlung, 27, 2.

basra a s (1999), Cotton fibers, Development biology, quality improvement, and
textile processing, Binghamton New York, Food Product Press, The Haworth Press.
buchert j and pere j (2000), ‘Scouring of cotton with pectinases and lipases’, Textile
Chem Color Am Dyestuff Rep, 35(5), 48–52.
buschle-diller g (1998), ‘Effects of scouring with enzymes, organic solvents, and
caustic soda on the properties of hydrogen peroxide bleached cotton yarn’, Textile
Res J, 68(12), 920–929.

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