Sodium Tripolyphosphate as a Textile Scouring Aid

FMC textile experts, recognizing the problem, felt that sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) could be of value as a textile scouring booster. Sodium tripolyphosphate has long been the builder of choice in laundry detergents where it is used to tie up and sequester hard water ions, but it has seen limited use in the textile industry. 

They also saw that STPP could be used to  

FMC has now demonstrated that the use of sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) as a scouring aid greatly improves overall quality of a wide variety of woven fabrics. Plant trials at major textile mills using STPP in the scour stage have shown a significant increase in the removal of fats, oils, and waxes (FOW) increased reflectance and improved absorbency. This means better and faster scouring, and more rapid and even dye uptake, especially with difficult to dye colors. 

STPP treatment can be of special advantage when goods are processed without bleaching, as when corduroy is dyed as a dark color. 

STPP is a safe, inexpensive, and easy to use chemical available from FMC. The cost of using STPP in your scouring operation is less than 2/10 cent per pound of textile when applied at 0.5% weight of fabric (WOF). 

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