Dyeing&Finishing

A whiter shade of white

Cellusoft Combi is a new enzyme technology with benefits that extend from the mill right to the consumer

Bioblasting
In this process, loose protruding hairs from fabric are removed by the application of an enzyme to the fabric followed by exposing it to a certain amount of mechanical action. This process allows for a clean surface that imparts luster, brightness and a softer hand feel. The fabric that has been bioblasted with Cellusoft Combi retains its colour and does not pill, even after repeated domestic washings.

MAKING AND keeping whites white is a challenge for both consumers and textile mills. For the consumer, the challenge is to keep them white after washing and wearing. There are steps, however, that can increase the level of whiteness even before the fabric is designed into a piece of clothing and sold to the consumer which is good news for both mills and retailers.

of total whites, it enables mills to roll out a much whiter fabric than is normally possible. With strong properties in creating superior quality, the easy-to-use liquid preparation helps textile mills meet increasing demand for improved fabric quality and colour trueness.

Frequent question
Is it bioblasted? is becoming a frequent question asked by clothing manufacturers and retailers, and mills will be hearing it even more in the future. Cellusoft Combi is a multicomponent product that combines the steps for bleach clean-up and bioblasting. It has ideal pH and temperature profiles with optimum performance at pH 5-8 at a temperature range of 40-60C. What makes Cellusoft Combi unique is that it also allows bioblasting to be done in the same bath as dyeing. For full white fabrics, the Novozymes product removes excess hydrogen peroxide while bioblasting is carried out in a neutral bath. Mills typically use higher amounts of hydrogen peroxide for full whites and

Combine processes
The solution is Cellusoft Combi, a combined processes approach which decreases the large amount of hydrogen peroxide otherwise required and totally eliminates the need for an optical brightening agent for whites. This latest enzyme technology from Novozymes blasts away protruding fibre ends and dead cotton to increase smoothness and softness, while making colours stand out and keeping white bright. Using Cellusoft Combi, bioblasting is performed in a combined process with dyeing, but it can also be used for combined peroxide removal and bioblasting on full whites. In the case
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normally an optical brightening agent is added to give fabric a brilliant finish. Conventional bioblasting calls for hydrogen peroxide removal by first using a catalase and then lowering the pH to 4.5-5 for bioblasting with traditional acid cellulases, explains Han Kuilderd, customer solutions manager at Novozymes. The low pH has a negative effect on the optical brightening agent and tends to dull the whiteness of the fabric, but with Cellusoft Combis broad pH range, no adjustment is needed. Cellusoft Combi simultaneously removes hydrogen peroxide and does bioblasting at a neutral pH to maintain a high degree of whiteness without adding extra chemicals. Since enzymes are natures own solution, applying the enzyme lowers the environmental footprint of mills in terms of polluting effluent volumes. Meanwhile, the combined process to bioblast for whiter-lasting whites saves time and resources, which means increased output when these precious minutes extend real production time. TMI