Fabrics, household

Oils and fats have been important throughout human history not only for food, but also as lubricants, polishes, ointments, and fuel. The reaction of oils and fats with alkali (saponification) produces soap (salts of fatty acids) and glycerin. This chemical process was known to the Romans and continues to be of significant commercial importance. Today, tens of thousands of tons of soap are produced annually from tallow and plant oils. Tallow is a by-product of the meat industry, while the principal plant oils are dependent on extensive plantations—palm and palm kernel oils from Indonesia, Malaysia, and India, and coconut oil from the Philippines and Brazil. Twentieth-century chemists designed more effective synthetic, crude-oil-based surface-active agents (surfactants, e.g., sodium linearalkylbenzene-sulfonate or LAS) for fabric, household, and industrial cleaning applications, and specialty surfactants to meet the needs of consumer products industry such as milder skin and hair cleansers. 

Textiles. A unique combination of desirable quaUties and low cost accounts for the demand for acetate ia textiles. In the United States, acetate and triacetate fibers are used ia tricot-knitting and woven constmctions, with each accounting for approximately half the total volume. This distribution changes slightly according to market trends. The main markets are women s apparel, eg, dresses, blouses, lingerie, robes, housecoats, ribbons, and decorative household appHcations, eg, draperies, bedspreads, and ensembles. Acetate has replaced rayon filament ia liner fabrics for men s suits and has been evaluated for nonwoven fabrics (79—81). 

Nonwoven wipe categories include products for babies and adults, the food service and electronics industries, medical and clean room appHcations, industrial cleaning, computer diskettes, and household products such as dusters, tea towels, shoe cleaning cloths, towelettes, and hand towels. Nonwoven fabrics are used to filter air, water, petroleum (qv), food, and beverages. Nonwovens loaded with abrasives, cleansers, or finishes can be found in a variety of products used by many industries and in many homes to scour or poHsh. Also, a majority of garments designed to protect industrial workers and consumers from hazardous environments are made from nonwoven fabrics. 

Fabric Softening. The use of quaternary surfactants as fabric softeners and static control agents can be broken down into three main household product types rinse cycle softeners tumble dryer sheets and detergents containing softeners, also known as softergents. Rinse cycle softeners... 

For VOCs, control options are multiple. Source reduction or removal includes product substitution or reformulation. Particleboard or pressed w ood has been developed and used extensively in building materials for cabinet bases and subflooring and in furniture manufacturing for frames. If the product is not properly manufactured and cured prior to use as a building material, VOCs can outgas into the interior of the residence or building. Other sources of VOCs may be paints, cleaning solutions, fabrics, binders, and adhesives. Proper use of household products will lower volatile emissions. 

Household products eg. fabric care, manual dishwashing, polishes Antimicrobial actives eg. antibacterial toilet soaps, facial wash, handsoaps... 

As discussed in Chapter 10, a wide variety of additives is used in the polymer industry. Stabilizers, waxes, and processing aids reduce degradation of the polymer during processing and use. Dyes and pigments provide the many hues that we observe in synthetic fabrics and molded articles, such as household containers and toys. Functional additives, such as glass fibers, carbon black, and metakaolins can improve dimensional stability, modulus, conductivity, or electrical resistivity of the polymer. Fillers can reduce the cost of the final part by replacing expensive resins with inexpensive materials such as wood flour and calcium carbonate. The additives chosen will depend on the properties desired. 

There are fundamental differences in approach to the selection of FBAs for either household detergents or textile finishing. Brighteners in detergent formulations are intended to preserve the whiteness of fabrics that already contain FBAs during many successive wash and... 

In 1932, nine out of ten kilos of textiles the Germans used had been imported. This ratio applied to most other household things. Farben went into the forests. Soon every other citizen arose to the tinkle of a Farben plastic clock, rolled back a new synthetic-fabric spread. Every other man shaved with Farben soap that had been made from the residue of the paraffin that had been made from the coal. At least twice a week, the German ate a new Farben food cooked in synthetic fat. Six out of ten dinner tables were spread with Farben cloths. After the worker went to his job, his wife cleaned the linen, the curtains, the casements, and dusted the furniture goods — all made from beechwood. 

Temperature control is one of the longest established and most important functions in household appliances. One example of modern thin film fabrication technology of platinum temperature sensors with application examples in the kitchen in hot plates and ovens is given in Chapter 5.1. 

In 1973, global consumption of nickel was 660,000 tons and that of the United States 235,000 tons (Sevin 1980). End uses of nickel in the United States in 1973 were transportation (21%), chemicals (15%), electrical goods (13%), fabricated metal products (10%), petroleum (9%), construction (9%), machinery (7%), and household appliances (7% IARC 1976). A similar pattern was evident for 1985 (Table 6.3). In 1988, 40% of all nickel intermediate products consumed was in the production of steel 21% was in alloys, 17% in electroplating, and 12% in super alloys (USPHS 1993). The pattern for 1985 was similar (Table 6.3). In Canada, nickel is the fourth most important mineral commodity behind copper, zinc, and gold. In 1990, Canada produced 197,000 tons of nickel worth 2.02 billion dollars and was the second largest global producer of that metal (Chau and Kulikovsky-Cordeiro 1995). Most of the nickel used in the United States is imported from Canada and secondarily from Australia and New Caledonia (USPHS 1977). 

Household examples that result in a buildup of a static charge are walking across a rug, placing different materials in a tumble dryer, removing a sweater, and combing hair. The clinging fabrics and sometimes audible sparks are the result of the buildup of static charge. 

LD = laundry detergents, DW = dishwashing liquids, ADW = automatic dishwasher detergents, HC = household cleaners, FC = fabric conditioners... 

If the new niche for the perfume is its use in cosmetics, toiletries or household product, then the niche-product interaction becomes very important. Perfumes are used specifically for their odor whereas in these new niches several new factors must be considered. For example, the perfume oil used in creams must not cause discoloration the fragrance used in a powdered detergent must be alkali resistant a fabric softener is expected to leave clothes with a pleasant odor and even a household cleanser must have a pleasant and functional odor, although active chlorine places difficulty on the stability of the perfume oil. Of course, decisions can affect or modify the product (perfume) or the niche (e.g. creams). 

The chemical industry is actually a set of related industries with many diverse functions and products. Certain raw materials are used to prepare key chemicals, monomers, and intermediates that may be sold independently or used directly in additional steps to give various polymers and end chemicals. These in turn can be formulated and fabricated into chemical products, which can sometimes be modified into finished products. There is a flow of materials and products from raw sources to finished formulations. Although the division is approximate, about 60% of the chemical industry manufactures industrial products that are further modified, whereas 40% of their products are sold directly to the consumer. Chemistry may not be a household word, but it should be. Actually, the older name for the Chemical Manufacturing sector is Chemicals and Allied Products, still used sometimes and a term that adequately describes the breadth of the industry. 

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