Pretreatment For Cotton – “Scouring &

Bleaching”
The current problems that mostly worries to the Processing Houses are as per the
GOVT Norms. Shade-matching in buyer defined illuminants( Matching
Light Box).
Shade tolerance limits for shade passing.
Strict limits of various Color-fastness properties.
Lowest Processing cost.
Lowest load in effluent water
Meeting the various buyer-defined pre-requisites like GOTS, Oko-Tex standards

Hence for the survival of the Processors therefore lie in the ability to Prepare Right
Fabric for dyeing
Select Right Dyes and Chemicals for various fastness requirements.
Maximize the Right First Time (RFT) dyeing both in lab and bulk dyeing.
The “Garbage in, Garbage out”, “what we sow that we reap” – all these sayings would
be proved true in the case of quality pretreatment.
It has been told that dyeing is the mirror image of preparatory treatment.
Unless the preparatory fabric is excellent, one cannot achieve proper dyeing and
finishing.Bleaching Technique

The main aim of each Step of Pre Treatment Process is,

To remove natural pectin, wax, protein, coloring matter and unwanted minerals from
the fiber,
To make the substrate uniformly absorbent throughout its length and breadth,
To make the substrate uniformly white for pure white finishes with optical brighteners
or for subsequent mercerizing, dyeing, etc.

ELECTRON GROUP is recommending the ideal “One Stage process” of combined

Scouring and Bleaching for cotton knits and yarn
The Products & Auxiliary recommended are should have the following contents.

S.N ELECTRON Material Details Recipe

Non-Ionic detergent with high cloud
point, low foaming and good
1 LASER- LF 0.5 to 0.75% (o.w.f.)
rewetting property or a nofoaming
Anionic wetting agent
2 LUBE 3M`` Anti-crease lubricating-agent 0.3 to 0.50% (o.w.f.)
3 ALKALI
Soda Ash 0.5 to 1.0% (o.w.f.)
BOND
4 Hydrogen Peroxide (50%) 2.0 to 4.0gms/liter
5 STABIL AWN Peroxide Stabilizer 0.5 to 1.0 gm/liter
 6 Caustic Soda flakes 0.7 to 1.0% (o.w.f.)

If the water hardness is above 100ppm, then a suitable sequestering agent “Sequel 200” should
also be added to the above recipe (0.5 to 1.0g/l).

Check the pH of the bleach bath. It should be 10.5~11.0

A treatment at 85°C is given for 45~60 minutes, followed by

1. Hot wash at 80°C for 15 minutes

2. Treatment with 0.5% peroxide-killer at the pre-defined temperature
3. Hot wash at 80°C for 15 minutes
4. Neutralise with 2 gms / liter Acetic Acid. or (ACID BOND)

So, this is the optimum process requirement for good quality fabric/yarn.

Bleaching Machines

CBR. JT-10, Jigger, winch, soft-flow, cabinet and continuous bleaching ranges etc. are some of
the routine machines used for textile bleaching.

Hydrogen Peroxide bleaching

The maximum bleaching activity from hydrogen peroxide is obtained generally at 70 to 80 O C etc.
At about pH 11.5.

In practice this alkalinity level is altered to suit fiber sensitivity and bleaching process
requirements; e.g. wool, cotton, amount of seed presence etc.

S
election of the alkali to be used in peroxide bleaching is dependent therefore on the fibers or the
blend being bleached. Sodium Hydroxide and Sodium carbonate will be used generally on
cellulose fibers, whilst ammonia and tetra sodium pyrophosphate are used when bleaching protein
fibers.