2011年7月12日星期二

Eco-friendly treatment for blue jeans offers alternative to controversial 'sandblasting'

Blue denim jeans are one and only from the all but plain and iconic style items in the world; now a study published in Biotechnology diary exposes a louder, further efficient and eco-friendly method for treating dyed denim. The process of 'surface activation' used to wash-down the denim following dyeing could in addition to declare oneself an mutually exclusive to the dangerous, and internationally banned, sandblasting technique.

"The global production of denim makes up judged at threesome one thousand million running ms and to a higher degree foursome billion clothes annually," said Thomas Bechtold, from the Research Institute for Textile chemical science and Textile Physics at the University of Innsbruck. "To create blue jeans denim is dyed with indigo an organic compound which costs figured to be produced in amounts of concluded cardinal.000 loads per year."

Controversially a process of sandblasting is often used for some jeans which are styled with a worn or torn look. The technique is banned in many countries as it can lead to lung disease; however, it is still used in denim workshops in Bangladesh, United Arab Republic, mainland China, dud, Federative Republic of Brazil and United Mexican States. Galore from the jeans traded incoming European Community are created stylish these res publica*.

Dr Bechtold and his team focused their research on alternative treatment litigates, hitting the books the exercise of chemicals used to bleach the denim.

"A central step in the serving from indigo plant colored fabrics specified blue jeans are the wash and bleach processes used to create a final wash down effect," said Bechtold. "To remove the ring dyed indigo dyestuff manufactures use a combination of drum washing machines and chemical treatments."

Oxidizing factors are an indispensable component part of this bleach process, with chemicals so much as Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCl) applied to bring down the measure of dyestuff. Deserved to its low cost and the broad amount of bleach effects it can produce NaOCl is currently used in 80% of jean production.

Because Indigofera tinctoria dyeing costs centralised during the outward layers of fabric Dr Bechtold's team changed state to a control surface activation technique Because indigo dyeing is concentrated on the outer layers of fabric Dr Bechtold's team turned to a surface activation technique which could lead to a reduction in the amount of chemicals needed to achieve the same effect. .

The surface activation technique presents several advantages including preventing the decease of fabric strength, shortening the duration of the wash-down process and reducing the concentrations of costly chemicals.

"This method in addition to declares oneself a renewal of the sandblasting of denim, which is an extremely unhealthy process for which, until now, there have been few alternatives available", concluded Bechtold. "The surface activation method also allows for more eco-friendly processing of jeans in the garment industry which embodies or so 10% of the sum cotton market worldwide."

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