Enzymatic textile processing

Amylase has been used in the textile industry since the 1950s to remove protective size based on starch from woven textiles and was the only enzyme used in textile processing until the 1980s. Due to the potential advantages of using enzymes in textile processing, much research has been undertaken since the 1980s to develop enzymatic... 

Since the 1990s, much research has been undertaken to develop enzymatic processing methods as an alternative to replace conventional textile processing methods. As described in Section 4.3, some of these processes have become routine industrial processes. Technical or cost constraints may prevent some of the bioprocessing techniques that have been developed from being viable industrially. 

From an industrial perspective, the use of carbohydrate-active enzymes as cost effective, selective catalysts of biomass hydrolysis has been growing steadily over the last century (5). In particular, carbohydrases play key roles in the starch processing, animal feed, textile, and pulp and paper industries (5-7) (Table 1). The observation that enzymatic starch processing alone accounted for nearly 10% of the U.S. 1.4 billion enzyme market (1998 values) further underscores the importance of these catalysts (6). The use of (hemi)cellulose-degrading enzymes to saccharify biomass as a precursor to biofuels production and other bioreflnery purposes are of particular contemporary interest in the quest to reduce fossil fuel dependence (5,8,9). 

The detergent industry is the largest user of industrial enzymes. The starch industry, the first significant user of enzymes, developed special symps that could not be made by means of conventional chemical hydrolysis. These were the first products made entirely by enzymatic processes. Materials such as textiles and leather can be produced in a more rational way when using enzyme technology. Eoodstuffs and components of animal feed can be produced by enzymatic processes that require less energy, less equipment, or fewer chemicals compared with traditional techniques. 

In the last few years, further applications for enzymatic processes in textile finishing were developed and - very importantly - the necessary suitable enzymes were found. Large-scale production of such enzymes led to price reductions, which in turn led to more applications, as enzymes were found to be efficacious in the textile industry. Another major reason why enzymatic processes are becoming more popular is the increasing importance of environmentally friendly technologies due to customers demands or restrictions by law. 

Enzymatic methods Many research organizations and scientists are working to improve the environment-friendly processing of cotton fabrics with enzymes. The many enzymes are today available for the removal of Impurities in the cotton fibers. For example, alpha amylase is enzyme used for cotton desizing process, pectlnase for pectin removal in cotton fiber and lipase, and protease for fatty substance removal in the cotton fiber treatments. Typical textile wet processing of cotton materials is shown in Fig. 4.6. 

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