What is mercerizing?

• Mercerizing is the process of treatment of cellulosic

material with NaOH solution
• Cold mercerising process
cold NaOH Solution ( 15˚C-18˚C)of required strength
(31% -35%) for 55 seconds
Hot mercerizing process
with hot NaOH solution of 31% to35%, between 60 to
70 °C for 20 seconds
• . John Mercer was the first chemist in the world who
found this phenomenon in 1844. Therefore, the proc
ess was called “Mercerizing”
 Objectives
1. To make the goods more luster because raw cotton fi
bers are ribbon-like. After this process, the fibers ch
ange to cylindrical shape resulting more evenness ref
lected light from the goods.

Before After
2.To improve the strength
3. To improve the dye uptake and moisture
regain.
Changes during mercerizing process

Chemical Changes/ reactions

Molecular level

Fiber level
 Changes during mercerizing process

Fiber level
• 1.Swelling
• 2.Cross sectional morphology changes from
beam shape to round shape.
• 3.Shrinkage along with longitudinal direction.
 Changes during mercerizing process-Molecular level

• 1.Hydrogen bond readjustment

• 2.Orientation (parallelization) of molecular chains in
amorphous region along the direction of fiber length.
• 3.Orientation of the crystallinity in the direction of the fiber
length.
• 4.Increased crystallinity
 Changes during mercerizing process
C. Chemical Changes
• 1.Increased rate of reaction on hydrolysis and
oxidation
• 2.Liberation of heat during the caustic
treatment(heat of sorption and heat of
reaction)
• 3.Increase in the alkali absorption.
• 4.Increase in the absorption of iodine
The mercerizing involves these three subsequent steps,
a. Impregnation of the material in relaxed state, with
cold caustic solution ( 15 C-18C)of required strength
(18% -25%)
b. b. Dwell period of 55 sec to permit diffusion of
NaOH in to the fibre.
b. Stretching while the material is still impregnated in the
caustic solution.
c. Washing off the caustic soda from the material while
keeping the material still in the stretch state.
 Mercerising machines
• 1.Yarn mercerising machine
• 2.Fabric mercerising machine
• i.Woven fabric mercerising machine
• -Pad Chain mercerising machine
• -Pad chainless mercerising machine
• -Padless chainless mercering machine
• ii.Knitted fabric mercerising machine
Pad-chainless mercerizing machine