Comparative performance evaluation of conventional bleaching and enzymatic bleaching with glucose oxidase on knitted cotton fabric

Abstract

Abstract The present research involves the enzymatic bleaching of cotton knitted fabric by using glucose oxidase. The performance of the enzymatic bleaching was compared with conventional bleaching process. The enzymatic bleaching technique was found to be better technique than conventional one with respect to the whiteness in addition to comparable mechanical properties like tensile strength and tear strength. An increase of approximately 6% was observed in the fabric whiteness index; however the decrease in tensile strength is negligible. Furthermore, it was found that hydrogen peroxide produced by glucose oxidase is a good alternative of commercially available hydrogen peroxide that is currently the most extensively used bleaching agent in textile processing industry.