A recent study published in Biotechnology Journal, points out a more competent and environment friendly method for processing dyed denim material.
The new procedure known as ‘surface activation’ will be utilized in cleaning the denim after the dyeing process. It can also substitute the unsafe and globally forbidden sandblasting process, which often leads to lung ailments for the laborers engaged in such work.
The manufacturers of jeans utilize a mix of drum washing machines and chemical processes to take out the ring dyed indigo dyestuff from the clothes. They use chemicals such as Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCl) as an oxidizing agent to lessen the quantity of dyestuff from the materials. Currently, nearly 80% of jeans manufacturers are using NaOCl for its low price and a number of bleaching effects on the denim cloth.
According to Thomas Bechtold, who belongs to the Research Institute for Textile Chemistry and Textile Physics at the University of Innsbruck, around 3 billion linear meters of denim is manufactured to produce 4 billion jeans every year. During the manufacture of jeans, over 30,000 tons of indigo is utilized in the dying process of converting denim into blue jeans every year.
The team guided by Dr. Bechtold studied the chemicals utilized in the denim bleaching process and sampled various other choices for the treatment. The team concluded that indigo dyeing is more focused on the outer layers of fabric and therefore implemented the surface activation technique, to ultimately reduce the quantity of chemicals required to realize a similar effect. The technique, while maintaining the sturdiness of the cloth also offers other advantages such as reduction in the period of wash-down process and reduced usage of concentrated chemicals.
Source: http://www.uibk.ac.at