Sustainable Photocatalytic Desizing Process for the Starch-Based Size

Abstract

Textile wet processing highly impacts the environment due to its massive water and energy consumption. High consumption of water also results in the generation of a considerable volume of effluents. In this regard, an ultraviolet C (UVC)-assisted desizing method of starch-sized cotton fabric has been developed to lower the utility consumption in textile pretreatment. A UVC cabinet is designed to control exposing temperature and energy of exposure on the starch-sized cotton fabric. The UVC exposure time is optimized concerning the desizing efficiency. The UVC-exposed-sized fabric is washed with different washing times and washing temperatures to optimize the process. The alkali consumption in washing is reduced by 75% and desizing efficiency is improved to 95%. The application of oxidizing agents like NaNO2, K2S2O8, and NaBO3·4H2O during sizing further reduced the washing temperature and washing time for desizing to obtain 100% desizing efficiency. The UVC-assisted desized fabric is characterized by the whiteness index, water absorbency, tensile strength, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and wide-angle X-ray diffraction and compared with the control. The UVC-assisted desizing process has the potential to save approximately 60% water, 90% energy, and more than 70% of the time. Life cycle analysis has also been done. The photocatalytic desizing process can reduce the impact on human health by more than 85% and save approximately 69% of mineral resources than the conventional technique. The textile industry can quickly adopt a novel approach for sustainable desizing.