Wool fabric characterisation after enzymatic and chlorinating treatment

Abstract

Properties of wool textile products are partly governed by morphological composition and chemical structure of the surface of wool fibre. Both chemical structure and morphological composition are most frequently changed by some chemical treatments aimed to achieve specific effects (anti-felting effect, handle improvement, increased wettability, improved dyeing or printing ability etc.). Enzymatic treatment is now frequently used in order to achieve specific effects on wool surface because of lower environmental impact, especially if it is compared with conventional chemical agents (e.g. sodium salt of dichloroisocyanuric acid, NaDCC). Assessment of quantitative and qualitative changes of wool fibre is of particular importance for the right choice and optimisation of process parameters. In the present work, the changes of wool structure after enzymatic treatment are confirmed by SEM microscopy, FTIR/ATR spectrometry and corresponding physico-chemical methods (urea-bisulphite solubility. alkaline solubility, wetting time, weight loss and Herbig's reaction). The efficiency of the wool enzymatic treatment was compared with the efficiency of NaDCC treatment.