Production, Purification of Acid Pectinase Enzyme and Its Application in The Bioscouring of Cotton Fabrics

摘要

COTTON, whether present as fiber or yam or woven fabric, requires some form of pre-treatment to make it suitable for dyeing and finishing. During the pretreatment, natural as well as added impurities are removed using basic chemicals and textile auxiliaries or a given equipment. The natural impurities in cotton are pectin, protein, wax and mineral, whereas added impurities could be lubricating oils, sizes, etc. Waxy materials and pectins are responsible for the hydrophobic properties of the raw cotton. Scouring of cotton has been traditionally performed with alkaline solutions at high temperature, but this corresponding auther process has large energy requirements and yields waste products that can damage the environment. The efficiency of the scouring process is directly related to the success of the subsequent wet processing operation such as bleaching, dyeing, mercerizing and finishing.