A sustainable low temperature combined pretreatment process for cotton assisted by ultraviolet-C radiation

Abstract

The textile sector stands out as one of the largest consumers of water. Its significant usage of natural resources, energy, and water - particularly in wet processing - has deleterious effects on the environment. To mitigate the industry's ecological footprint, this investigation delves into the viability of pretreating cotton grey fabrics utilizing Ultraviolet-C radiation. An efficient Ultraviolet-C-assisted single-step process has been developed, combining desizing, scouring, and bleaching. The grey cotton fabric is padded with a bleaching solution and exposed under Ultraviolet-C followed by a low-temperature washing. The process parameters like time of exposure under Ultraviolet-C, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, pH of the bleaching solution, and the temperature and duration of washing are optimized. The pretreated fabric is characterized by absorbency time, whiteness, strength, FTIR, WAXD, and SEM. The analysis of fabric structure using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Wide-angle X-ray diffraction indicates no significant alterations in the parent structure of the fabric. The combined process saves 71% water, 73% time, and 70% energy from the conventional technique without compromising the quality of the fabric. The dyeability test reveals that the combined pretreatment can have a 42% higher dye uptake than the control. The life cycle analysis of the innovative one-step combined pretreatment reveals that it can potentially reduce over 60% of the environmental impacts associated with conventional processes, thereby promoting sustainability. Furthermore, since minimal modifications to existing setups are necessary, implementing this process within the textile industry is highly feasible.