Vg. Yachmenev et al., USE OF ULTRASONIC ENERGY IN THE ENZYMATIC TREATMENT OF COTTON FABRIC, Industrial & engineering chemistry research, 37(10), 1998, pp. 3919-3923
Application of enzymes in the textile industry is becoming increasingl
y popular because of mild processing conditions and the capability for
replacing harsh organic/inorganic chemicals. The combination of ultra
sound with conventional enzymatic treatment of cotton offers significa
nt advantages such as less consumption of expensive enzymes, shorter p
rocessing time, less fiber damage, and better uniformity of enzymatic
treatment. Our laboratory research has shown that introduction of ultr
asonic energy during enzymatic treatment resulted in significant impro
vement in the performance of cellulase enzyme (CELLUSOFT L). It was es
tablished that ultrasound does not inactivate the complex structure of
the enzyme molecules and weight loss of cotton fabric sonicated and t
reated with cellulase enzyme increased up to 25-35%. The experimental
data indicate that the maximum benefit provided by sonification occurs
at relatively low enzyme concentrations. Ultrasonic energy significan
tly intensified the enzymatic treatment of the cotton fabrics but did
not contribute to a decrease in tensile strength of the cotton textile
s.