Bleaching of fabrics produced from casein fibers

Abstract

The pH of milk fibers, which can be obtained even from the protein of sour milk, is compatible with the human body. Besides being ecological, they have biodegradable properties. In this paper the influence of different bleaching conditions with hydrogen peroxide and thioureadioxide (TUDO) on the whiteness of casein fiber fabric was investigated. Bleaching was carried out both conventionally and with microwave energy. Whiteness, bursting strength, hydrophilicity, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) values were determined and compared. The structures of the untreated and treated casein fabrics were investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of bleaching on the structure of casein fabric was investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The loss of strength in milk fiber based fabrics which have been bleached with peroxide in acidic medium is less than the loss in bleaching in basic medium. Microwave energy can produce whiteness levels obtained by conventional method in much shorter periods. Strength losses are also less. The air permeability test results show that the air permeability of casein fiber based fabric samples decreases with increasing processing temperature and processing time. Careful selection of process temperature and duration is important for milk fibers as well as for wool fibers. When working with milk fibers it is recommended to test the dimension peroxide bleaching change according to the process conditions. © 2020 Ege Universitesi. All rights reserved.