Desizing

Desizing is done in order to remove the size material from the warp yarn of woven fabric. Warp yarn is
coated with sizing agents prior to weaving in order to reduce its frictional properties & decrease yarn
breakage in the loom and improve weaving productivity. The main ingredient in size is starch which is
not water-soluble. It acts as a resist towards dyes and chemicals in wet processing. Therefore, it must be
removed before any dyeing or printing of the fabric.
Some of the sizing Materials
❖Starch: Corn, Sago, CMC (Carbon Methyl Cellulose), CMS (Carbon Methyl Starch).
❖Natural gums: Locust bean,
❖Synthetic sizes: PVA, PAN, PVAC, etc.
Objectives of sizing
-Improve weave ability by removing projecting fibers or hairs - Increasing tensile strength
- Increasing smoothness
- Reducing static electricity formation
Objective of Desizing
1.To remove the starch material from the fabric.
2.To increase the absorbency power of the fabric.
3.To increase the affinity of the fabric to the dyes & chemicals.
4.To increase the luster of the fabric in dyeing and printing.
5.To make the fabric suitable for the next process.
Methods of desizing

ENZYMATIC DESIZING
Enzymatic desizing is the most widely used method for the removal of starch. The advantage of the use of
enzymes is that starches are decomposed without damaging cellulose fiber.
❖Amylase is an enzyme commonly used in desizing textile materials.
ENZYMATIC DESIZING PROCESS
1. Preparation of the desizing mixture:
1)Water,
2)Wetting agent
3)Salt,
4)Acid/Alkali,
5)Enzyme.
First, salt and wetting agent have added then the enzyme. 2. Saturation:
Fabrics containing starch as sizing materials are difficult to wet out. So, it is mandatory that the mass of
fiber and size be saturated to approx. 100% wet pick-up.
3. Digestion/Dissolving:
In this process starch convert to water soluble materials. In a continuous process, fabrics run through a
steamer. In the case of the J-box, the temperature range is 60C to 90C and the time is 15 to 20 min.
4. Washing:
When desizing has been completed, it should be relatively easy to remove the shortchain as they are
water-soluble.
Main controlling points:
• Temperature
• PH: The optimum pH of the most reported enzymatic desizing lies between 5 and 7 • Fabric
speed
• Concentration
ENZYMATIC DESIZING PROCESS

Advantages
● No fabric damage. In case of starch, the enzyme
will affect only starch and do not damage the cotton
cellulose.
● Active under low temperature and pH conditions.
● Less time required.
● Closely constructed fabric can be easily desized due to the
effective enzyme action.
● Increased biodegradability of effluent.
Disadvantages
● Suitable for removal of starch
based sizes rather than
CMC (Carboxymethyl cellulose)
or PVA (Polyvinyl alcohol ).
● No effect on certain starch like TAPIOCA starch.
● If the temperature, pH and time are not properly maintained, the desizing activity of the
enzymes is destroyed.
Scouring
Definition:
Scouring is the process by which all natural and additive impurities such as oil, wax, fat,
hand dust etc. are removed to produce hydrophilic and clean textile material. It is one of
the vital processes of wet processing.
Objectives of Scouring:
• To make the fabric highly hydrophilic.
• Remove impurities such as oils, waxes, gum, and husks as nearly as possible.
• To increase the absorbency of the fabric.
• To produce a clean material by adding alkali.
• To make the fabric ready for the next process.
• To remove non-cellulosic substances in the case of cotton
Classification of Scouring system
There are basically three scouring systems for cotton
1.Conventional system
Most widely used system. It consists of an alkali and a combination of surfactants. Alkali
(NaOH), Wetting Agents, Emulsifiers (surfactants).
2.Solvent-based :
Two types of solvents may be used
• Chlorine-Based: CCl4, Trichloroethylene
• Hydrocarbon: Benzene, White Spirit etc.
3.Enzyme based
There have been attempts to remove impurities from cotton by the use of enzymes. It
uses mild temperature and pH-4.

Selection of Scouring Agents depends on:

Type of fiber
 Wool and silk are dissolved by strong alkali.
 Cotton resistant to alkali
Fabric construction:
◦ Fabric type i.e. woven or knitted
◦ Fabric density i.e. thick or thin
◦ Twist & count of yarn.
Scouring Types
Yarn scouring:
• Hank form
• Package form
• Warp beam.
Fabric scouring:
1. Open width form
2.Rope form
Standard Recipe
The amount of different chemicals may vary according to:
•The hardness of the water.
• Quality of cotton.
• Fabric construction/ yarn count.
• Recipe
 Caustic Soda (Strong)→ 2-5% owf
 Soda ash (mild)→ 0.5-1.0%
 Sequestering agent→0.2-0.5 g/l
 Wetting agent+ Detergent→ 0.5-1.0g/l
 M: L→1:5 to1:7
 Temp→100˚C
 Time→8hr(1000C) - 2hr(120˚C)
Scouring process of silk
Impurities present in silk:
• Sericin up to 30%
• The removal of the above impurities in silk is called de-gumming.
• The agent used for degumming is – Soap, (Na2CO3 + NaHCO3) Solution, and synthetic
detergent and the pH of the solution is 9-9.8
• Recipe:
 Soap →0.5-0.75%
 Soda ash →2 g/L
 Detergent → 1 g/L
 Wetting agent → 0.5 g/L
 Sequestering agent → 0.5 g/L
 Temp →95˚C
 Time →30 min to 2 hrs.
 pH →10
 M:L → 1:10

Scouring of wool
 Wool contains 30–60% grease and also contains suint, fats etc as impurities.
 Mild alkali Ammonium Carbonate or Sodium Carbonate is used in wool scouring
because wool is degraded by caustic soda or even low strength alkali at high
temperatures.
  So, the pH of liquor should be 8–10.5. The melting point of fat in wool is 40-50˚C.
Hence applied temperature should be 50-55˚C.
 Synthetic detergents are preferable instead of soap and salt are used in the
solution.

Scouring of Jute: (Bast fiber)

• Bast fiber, jute, linen etc. are multi-cellulose fibre. The cells are cemented with each
other by lignin which is a non-cellulosic unit and is about 11-14%.
• If strong alkali is used for jute scouring, its strength is reduced as lignin is removed and
cells are separated. So, mild alkali is used in jute scouring at low temp.
• Scouring is not required for Hessian and Sacking jute. 10

Bio Scouring
• Enzymatic Scouring or Bio-Scouring allows cotton to be treated under very mild
conditions.
• In bioscouring alkaline, pectinases have been found to be the most effective enzymes for
natural cellulosic fibers such as cotton, linen, hemp and blends. It removes pectin and
other impurities from the primary cell wall of the cotton fibers without degradation of
cellulose and thus there is no negative effect on strength properties of the fabric.

Recipe Formulation
Enzymatic scouring was carried out by the following recipe:
 Enzyme : .............................................3 g/L or 0.5%
 Sequestering agent: ...........................1 g/L
 Wetting agent : ...................................2 g/L
 Emulsifier ………………………………………. 0.5‐1.5 g/l
 Temperature: .....................................60oC
 Time: ................................................30 min
 M: L: ................................................1:10
 PH: ...................................................6‐9
Bio Scouring Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages of bio-scouring
❖ (BOD) and (COD) of the enzymatic scouring process is 50% as compared to the alkaline
scouring (100%). The total Dissolved Solid (TDS) of the enzymatic scouring process is 50%
as compared to the alkaline scouring (100%).
❖ The handle is very soft in enzymatic scouring.
❖ It also minimizes the health risks of operators as they are not exposed to hazardous
chemicals.
❖ Reduced water and wastewater costs, reduced treatment time
Limitation of Bio scouring process
• The enzymes used for scouring are costly and they require temperature for their action.
• The increase in temperature or pH may deactivate the enzyme which may alter the
rocess efficienc.