ZTM-BPD-CIRCOT

INTRODUCTION:
Scouring is an important pre-treatment operation in the processing of cotton and cotton blended materials. The main objective of the above process is to remove the noncellulosic constituents in cotton, which make the fibre non-absorbent posing serious technical problems during the subsequent stages in wet processing. In fact, the extent of scouring has a strong bearing on the ultimate quality of the finished product.

The conventional scouring operation consists of treating the cotton goods with 1- 2% of NaOH solution at high pressure (lSlbs/in2) and temperature (121°C) for4-5 hours. The above treatment is not only energy intensive but also leads to environmental pollution. It is estimated that scouring operation alone consumes about 1% of the total water used, contributes about 54% to the total BOD and is responsible for 10-25% of the total pollution load generated during the entire textile processing operation.

CIRCOT Process :
The grey cotton goods are immersed in water containing a small amount of the microbial consortium developed and maintained at CIRCOT. The above material is kept in a closed airtight container and the microbial process is carried out under anaerobic condition at ambient temperature (25°C-35°C) for 6-10 hours depending upon the nature of the material. The treated fabric is removed and washed with water followed by boiling with a very dilute sodium hydroxide (O.5%owf) for 15 minutes. The fabric is subsequently washed with water and dried.

The Bio-Scoured samples in general showed similar water absorption properties as that of conventionally scoured. The strength retention, the whiteness as well as the uniformity of whiteness and the colour strength of the dyed materials were better in comparison to the conventional samples. CIRCOT’s bio-scouring technology was successfully demonstrated in two textile processing units employing their regular production lines.

Conventional vs Bio-Scouring : 

Benefits of CIRCOT Process:

• Low cost infrastructure
• Low energy process
• Lesser degradation in fabric
• Less polluting operation