Finishing operations, textile processing

After the fabric formation process, textiles are generally subjected to either dyeiag or printing and to a variety of mechanical and chemical finishing operations. The specific nature of the dyeiag and finishing operations depends on the fiber type and on the iatended use of the fabric. 

Trichloroethylene is an excellent extraction solvent for greases, oils, fats, waxes, and tars and is used by the textile processing industry to scour cotton, wool, and other fabrics (lARC 1979 Kuney 1986 Verschueren 1983). The textile industry also uses trichloroethylene as a solvent in waterless dying and finishing operations (McNeill 1979). As a general solvent or as a component of solvent blends, trichloroethylene is used with adhesives, lubricants, paints, varnishes, paint strippers, pesticides, and cold metal cleaners (Hawley 1981 lARC 1979 McNeill 1979). 

Wastewater treatment. The effluents from textile processing contain some pollutants and become highly colored due to soluble and insoluble dyes. At present, there is no economically feasible method for removing the dyes and other chemicals present in the effluents from the finishing and dyeing operations. 

Fiber Finishes. The natural fibers, of which cotton and wool are most important, are endowed by nature with a finish which affords textile processibility. The cotton fiber is coated by a layer of pectin and wax which supplements the natural hygroscopicity of the fiber with a lubricant which aids in the manifold drafting operations of the textile manufacturing process. Raw wool also occurs naturally with a coating of wool grease, but this is often removed by scouring the raw stock before textile processing,... 

Uses Concrete primer/seaier for chem. processing piants (power, sewage and waste treatments), finishing operations (mining, metal), mills (pulp and paper, steel, textile)... 

In many cases, surfactant is applied to the fiber for rewetting, lubricity, antistatic, or other purposes, while in other cases the surfactant affects the processing solution in some way, such as stabilization of an emulsion or dispersion. Surfactant residues are present in fiber, yam, or fabric from applications in upstream operations. Oils and waxes on natmal fibers, fiber finishes on synthetic fibers, winding emulsion on yam, coning oil, yam finish, knitting oil, and warp size are examples of surfactant-containing residues found on textile substrates [10]. In addition to uses in which the surfactant is applied to the substrate, many textile processes use water-insoluble textile processing assistants that are applied from aqueous emulsions. Essentially all chemical specialties contain surfactants to improve solubility and dispersability and to suspend water-insoluble materials... 

---