ENZYMATIC SCOURING TO IMPROVE COTTON KNIT FABRICS SEWABILITY

One of the sewing troubles during sewing operation is material damage that can be caused by needle, speed of sewing machine and material preparations as well. In the published papers about this subject it could be seen that more research works have led to understanding of the complex interaction in the damage phenomenon considering kind of needle and speed of sewing machine but not material preparation. The aim of cotton preparation is to make raw cotton fabric wettable and dyeable. It involves scouring of raw cotton for removing impurities like wax, grease and dirt and bleaching for increase whiteness and removing seed coat fragments. Scouring of cotton is conventionally done with sodium hydroxide that at harsh conditions not only achieves the removal of impurities but also leads to a some damages to the cellulose causing a high weight loss and decreasing the strength. The concenquences of cellulose demage is high needle penetration force the of later one is the high. Various studies are required to make quality-sewing product. In the field of preparation processes the present study will compare conventional and enzymatic scouring in sawability and large-scale properties of treated cotton knit fabrics using sodium hydroxide and alkaline pektinase.