A SUSTAINED GREEN SCOURING PROCESS OF COTTON USING IMMOBILIZED PECTINASE ON IRON OXIDE NANOPARTICLES AND ITS REUSABILITY

Abstract

Scouring, a vital process in textile wet processing which removes hydrophobicity nature of the fabrics by removing natural matters and other impurities that imparts hydrophilic property. In this present study, Scouring was performed with free enzyme and pectinase immobilized iron oxide nanoparticles. Iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation method and immobilized with pectinase that was characterized by the Scanning Electron Microscope and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy showed 35 and 86 nm size of control and enzyme immobilized iron oxide nanoparticles and the presence of enzyme functional groups respectively. Scouring parameters were optimized and the scouring was done successfully. Physical and functional properties of the scoured fabrics were analyzed where immobilized enzyme treated fabrics showed higher weight loss 7.5%, 1 sec wettability and 44, 36 lbs tensile strength under optimized condition cycles than conventionally scoured fabrics as control and merely equal to free enzyme treated fabrics. Operational stability of enzyme immobilized nanoparticles was determined and losses its 50% efficiency in 4 cycle having 3.2% weight loss with 14 sec wettability. Surface topographical studies of scoured cotton fabrics by SEM had shown that the presence of rough and open primary wall with high protrusions in control whereas presence of lower protrusions in both enzymatic and immobilized enzyme scoured fabrics was found. Absence of impurities was confirmed by functional groups detected by FTIR would strongly affirm the good enough efficiency of treated fabrics.