Abstract
To seek a more environmentally friendly textile finishing technique, the screen-printing method was adopted to apply functional material to cotton fabrics. In addition, gallotannin was used as a functional material because it is naturally abundant in many plant-derived substances and shows various health-promoting features such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and other attractive properties. Therefore, a gallotannin/thickener paste was applied to the surface of cotton fabrics through the screen-printing technique, and the gallotannin-printed cotton fabrics were thoroughly investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and other methods. The gallotannin printed area was substantially brown in appearance, and gallotannin moiety appeared to combine with cotton cellulose through heat treatment. Furthermore, functional properties of the gallotannin-printed cotton fabrics were examined in terms of antibacterial activity, deodorizing property, and ultraviolet-blocking property, of which it demonstrated excellent abilities. However, the antibacterial ability toward Gram-negative bacteria (K. pneumoniae) decreased as the laundry cycle increased.
Highlights
Awareness of environmental concerns has been increasing globally in recent years
We found that gallotannin is a potential agent for environmentally friendly textile finishing as it is a natural compound with health-promoting features such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and other attractive properties, among others
This is because un-bonded gallotannin moiety and thickener were washed off through the rinsing process even though the printed fabrics were cured at a high temperature (160 °C/30 s)
Summary
Many conventional textile and apparel manufacturing processes have the potential to create a considerable environmental footprint (Koh & Hong, 2017a). Textiles are usually subjected to many processes, including scouring, bleaching, dyeing, and finishing, before being completed as final consumer items. Each process utilizes various toxic chemicals and a high quantity of water and energy and creates a large volume of wastewater containing undesirable chemical compounds (Haji & Naebe, 2020). Many researchers have attempted to develop environmentally friendly textile and apparel manufacturing processes (Eid & Ibrahim, 2021; Khan et al, 2017) to preserve the natural environment. In this regard, the screen-printing process was considered a sustainable alternative to conventional textile finishing.
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