**3. Future implications4**

The Textile Industry is aware of the decrease in water sources and is developing new technology and new chemical alternatives, but the challenge will lay in converting the technology in current textile facilities into the new technology that uses less water. Another challenge will lie in changing the mindset of the current generations in the textile industry to use new chemical alternatives instead of the chemicals they have used in the past decades. This will be a slow process, but one that will need to happen in order for the textile industry to maintain current production and grow in the future.

### **3.1 Global trends**

The textile companies are forced to reduce their consumption of water and energy. Due to


### **3.2 Present measures by the textile industry**


#### **3.3 New processes-breakthrough techniques**


Pre-treatment of Textiles Prior to Dyeing 225

 **No. of Baths before dyeing:** There are total 5 baths that are used before the actual dyeing operation starts. Among 5, the last 3 baths are used basically because of the high pH value of the scouring treatment that requires intensive rinsing and neutralizing. This means that large amounts of water are also consumed. If somehow the scouring treatment can be carried towards neutral pH than we can save directly 3 baths of water. This will contribute significantly to water savings as well as reducing the load on ETP plant. For process houses that buy water in tanker, saving of three

 **Damage caused to the cotton substrate:** The aggressive scouring treatment conditions frequently damage the fibre. Due to complete removal of the outer pectin coating of the cotton fibre, the surface profile becomes rough. This affects considerably friction properties of yarn. This also leads to increase in the amount of fly generation. Also there is a considerable strength loss due to oxy-cellulose formation while carrying out

 **Time of Pre - treatment:** The total time currently required is 2 hrs and 50 min. If some alternative is available that will help to reduce this time than there will be an direct increase in the production and thus allow the organization to reap the benefits from

 **Increase in cost of auxiliaries:** Deployment of caustic and peroxide in the scouring treatment makes the use of peroxide remover and acetic acid mandatory. This further

 The aforementioned disadvantages of scouring with sodium hydroxide has motivated the textile industry to introduce more enhanced biological agents, which would be as effective in removing non-cellulose substances but would not have any damaging effects on cotton and would be less energy and water consuming. As we all know the outer protective coating of the cotton fibre is made up of pectin. The primary aim of any scouring process is to break this outer pectin layer. Once this is broken the cellulose polymers present inside the cotton fibrils are exposed. These have high affinity for water due to abundance of hydroxyl group, thus making the cotton fibre hydrophilic. If there is a way to break this pectin through some other route then the desired scouring effect can be achieved

Pectins, chemically are high molecular weight, negatively charged, acidic, complex branched heteropolysaccharides primarily containing an alpha- (1,4) polygalacturonic acid backbone which can be randomly acetylated and methylated. Contrary to the proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, pectic substances do not have a defined molecular weight. Three

1. Homogalacturonans: These are composed of simple alpha-(1,4) polygalacturonic acid backbone. Some modifications of Homogalacturonans backbone with beta-D- Xylose branching at C3, or apiofuranose substitutions in the backbone with beta-D-Apiosyl- (1,3')-beta-D-Apiose branching are also found. A typical structure of

increase in productivity without any increase in the cost of assets.

saving

baths will be a boon.

peroxide bleaching in alkaline condition.

different kinds of pectins have been isolated from cotton:

homogalacturonans can be represented as follows:

increases the cost of the process.

**5.1 'Bio-scouring', the new way** 

easily.

substrate. The temperature of treatment for this chemical is close to boil. If this temperature can be reduced, there will be considerable amount of time and energy
