Effects of biowashing and liquid ammonia treatment on the physical characteristics and hand of denim fabric

Abstract

The changes in the physical characteristics and hand of denim fabric through aftertreatments such as biowashing using only neutral cellulase enzyme and liquid ammonia treatment were investigated. The basic physical properties of denim were measured using the Kawabata evaluation system for fabric. The results showed that biowashing increased softness and created a fade-out effect with natural colour; however, it reduced strength and elastic recovery as a result of damage to the cellulose by the enzyme. On the other hand, liquid ammonia treatment gave improved physical properties, which can be attributed to fast and uniform swelling, but resulted in a darker colour. Therefore, a combination of liquid ammonia treatment with biowashing is desirable in order to obtain a good fade-out effect while achieving softness, smoothness, and elastic recovery.

Designing and Development of Denim Fabrics: Part 1 - Study the Effect of Fabric Parameters on the Fabric Characteristics for Women’s Wear

“…Denim, the favourite fabric of the youngsters has indeed come a long way. The consumer's choice, although unstable and unpredictable, it has remained almost the same while selecting denim for their fashion item [1][2][3][4]. The scope for denim wear is increasing tremendously every year and its worldwide market share has increased unpredictably in the last few decades.…”

The comfort properties of hemp and flax blended denim fabrics with common industrial washing treatments

“…In studies examining the comfort of denim fabrics, the impact of different fiber compositions, constructional characteristics, or different types of washing treatments on comfort was investigated. 2–5,25–35 Even though more researchers were interested in the effects of the washing treatments on comfort, the studies were limited in scope to cover all aspects of moisture, thermal, and tactile comfort. Moreover, as in the case of the use of flax and hemp blended fabric in denim fabrics, no has study investigated the comfort properties of flax and hemp blended denim fabrics subjected to common industrial washing treatments.…”