Eco-Friendly Disperse Dyeing and Functional Finishing of Nylon 6 Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Tarek Elmaaty,Jaehuyk Ma,Fathy El-Taweel,Eman El-Aziz,Satoko Okubayashi

doi:10.3390/fib3030309

Tarek Elmaaty, Jaehuyk Ma + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/fib3030309

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Abstract

In this work, a supercritical carbon dioxide assembly was successfully constructed for dyeing Nylon6 fabric. Primary experiments were carried out to confirm the possibility of bringing the dyeing up to factory scale. A series of disperse azo dyes with potential antibacterial activity were applied to dye the fabric under our study in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). The factors affecting the dyeing conditions (i.e., dye concentration, time, temperature and pressure) and functional properties were discussed and compared with those in aqueous dyeing. The comparison revealed that elimination of auxiliary chemicals such as salt, carrier or dispersing agent has no diverse effect on dyeing. The color strength of the dyed fabric evaluated by using K/S measurements increased by increasing dye concentration from 2% to 6% owf. (on weight of fabric). The nylon6 fabrics dyed in supercritical carbon dioxide have good fastness properties, and especially light fastness compared with conventional exhaustion dyeing. Antibacterial activity of the dyed samples under supercritical conditions was evaluated and the results showed excellent antibacterial efficiency.

Highlights

Using supercritical carbon dioxide instead of water in textile dyeing can preserve energy, lower water use and prevent pollution
In an earlier study [10], we explored the dyeing of polyester fabrics with antibacterial disperse–azo dyestuffs which were synthesized in our program, employing a supercritical carbon dioxide dyeing technique
Different agents have to be added for treatment of hydrophobic material; after dyeing, a consequent drying process with high energy consumption is imperative; and a large amount of wastewater is used

Summary

Introduction

Using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) instead of water in textile dyeing can preserve energy, lower water use and prevent pollution. This dyeing method offers many advantages compared with conventional aqueous dyeing; no carrier or dispersing agent is required, residual dyestuff can be collected and carbon dioxide can be recycled [1,2,3]. It is an environmentally friendly technique, as it may replace the traditional wet-dyeing method [4]. As a consequence in the last few decades, various researchers focused their efforts on the synthesis of new dyes for these fibers [7,8,9,10,11,12]

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