Combined desizing, scouring and bleaching of cotton using ozone

Abstract

An attempt has been made to desize, scour and bleach grey cotton fabric simultaneously using ozone. The mechanical, chemical and dyeing properties of the ozonized fabric have been compared with those of the fabric subjected to conventional desizing, scouring and hydrogen peroxide bleaching. To achieve a high degree of whiteness with minimum damage to cellulose, a two-stage process is suggested wherein the ozonized fabric is further treated with hydrogen peroxide. An acceptable degree of whiteness (ready for dyeing) can be obtained by using ozone in a very short time. This process has additional advantages such as savings in thermal energy, water and chemicals.