Abstract
The bio-scouring of cotton using protease and pectinase produced from Bacillus subtilis was investigated. Protease and pectinase were produced from Bacillus subtilis in a liquid medium using the submerged fermentation technique. Both enzymes were purified, and their scouring potential was tested on raw cotton fabrics. Pectinase was more effective than protease under optimised conditions. The optimum scouring temperature for both enzymes was between 40 °C and 50 °C, with pectinase bio-scoured fabric showing 15.5% weight loss while protease bio-scoured fabric had 14.3% weight loss. The optimum pH for pectinase scouring was pH 9 with 14.8% weight loss in the fabric, while the optimum pH for protease scoured fabric was pH 7 with 12.3% weight loss in fabric. After 120 minutes of bio-scouring, maximum weight loss was recorded for both pectinase and protease treated fabrics. The application of protease and pectinase for cotton fabric scouring revealed that they could be used as bio-scouring agents to treat textile materials.
Highlights
Cotton is the most valuable natural source of cellulose, and its use is constantly increasing
Conventional scouring of cotton involves alkali and detergents to remove waxes, fats, pectin, mineral salts and other impurities from raw cotton fabrics [10]
Raw cotton fibres were subjected to different scouring treatments
Summary
Cotton is the most valuable natural source of cellulose, and its use is constantly increasing. Pre-treatment processes are needed to prepare cotton fibres for further treatment and use, including scouring and bleaching In these treatments, vast amounts of auxiliary agents are added. Conventional scouring of cotton involves alkali (soda ash and caustic ash) and detergents to remove waxes, fats, pectin, mineral salts and other impurities from raw cotton fabrics [10]. This process effectively removes impurities but has a high demand for energy, water and auxiliary agents. These chemicals attack cellulose leading to heavy strength loss and weight loss in the fabric. Bioscouring is a novel process based on the usage of particular enzymes to remove impurities from textile materials [9]
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