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Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies
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Vol 3 No 5
July 2014
Effects of Alternative Mercerizing Agents on Some Mechanical
Properties of Cotton / Polyester Blend Fabric
Boryo D.E.A3*
Bello K.A.2
Ibrahim A.Q.3
Gin N.S.4
Ezeribe A.I.1
Wasiu K.A.1
1
Science Laboratory Technology Department, Federal Polytechnic P.M.B 0231 Bauchi, Nigeria
2
Textile Technology Department, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
3
Chemistry Programme, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University P.M.B 248, Bauchi, Nigeria
4
Science Laboratory Technology Department, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi ,Nigeria
Doi:10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n5p91
Abstract
This study was concerned with sourcing for suitable and reliable, safe and cheap alternative
mercerizing agents that may improve the mechanical properties of cotton/ polyester blend
fabric. The pH of the used liquor was evaluated. Cost analyses for the agents were investigated.
Six alternative 19-23% mercerizing agents were used (namely liquid NH3, NH4OH, (NH4) 2C2O4,
CH3CH2OH, CH3COOH, (COOH) 2 and NaOH as the control) after
bleaching the fabric
respectively. The optimum experimental results for the mercerizing agents showed that 19%
NH4OH optimally improved the breaking load (16.19kgf) more than the control. The optimum
value for breaking extension (24.98% ) of the mercerized fabric was by 19% (NH4) 2C2O4 ranking
the highest. 19% CH3CH2OH mercerized fabric recorded the highest linear density (4.6904 tex).
21% NH4OH mercerized fabric ranked the highest for dry crease recovery (132°). The alkalinity
and acidity (pH) of the alternative agents after the mercerizing process were environmentally
friendly in comparison with the highly alkaline NaOH (pH range of 12.20-12.30), hence
unfriendly. The cost analysis revealed some of the alternative agents far cheaper than the
NaOH. These imply that the alternative agents are suitable and reliable as mercerizing agents
than NaOH. Therefore the alternative agents could be employed in the Textile I ndustry and
commercially as mercerizing agents so that the world could be a better and safe place for fabric
users.
Keywords: alternative mercerizing agents, mechanical properties, suitable, reliable, safe, cheap
1. Introduction
Mercerization is one of the most important processes before finishing processes on fabric. This
consist of treatments of fabric with concentrated solutions of 20-22% of NaOH at a very low
temperature (5-18oC) as described by Sadov et al.(1973), Trotman (1975) and Taylor (1990).
The demand for NaOH is high because of its numerous applications like in scouring and
mercerization processes, thereby making it scarce and costly. This highly alkaline NaOH attacks
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the textile material if not properly handled leading to reduction in mechanical and poor finishing
properties of the fabric. The effluents of these processes are corrosive and harmful to the
environment too.
When the waste water from such a mercerizing process is released, it has effect on the soil
and water bodies. SCHER (2006) reported that pH should be one of the basic traditional
parameters to be regularly monitored in waste waters. For example, Cutler and Peter (2008)
concluded that an important factor affecting soil fertility is soil pH. Soil pH affects the health of
microorganism in the soil and controls the availability of nutrients in the soil solution. Strongly
acidic soils (pH less than 5.5) hinder the growth of bacteria that decompose organic matter in the
soil. This result in a buildup of undecomposed organic matter which leaves important nutrients
such as nitrogen in forms that is unusable by plant (Cutler and Peter, 2008).
During mercerization, selective bonding of sodium to cellulose takes place according to the
following schemes (Moji, 2000).
C6H7O2(OH) 3 + 3NaOH ĺ C6H7O2(ONa) 3 + 3H2O
Scheme 1: Formation of trisodium cellulose (alcoholate)
The equation was explained by Sadov et al. (1973) that the formation of trisodium cellulose, took
place on subjecting cellulose to action of solution of metallic sodium. Other researchers, believed
formation of alcoholate by the action of aqueous solution of caustic soda on cellulose is
impossible. This is because alcoholate are hydrolysed by small amount of water (March, 1978),
Another possible reaction is that caustic soda combines with cellulose to form a molecular
compound:
C6H7O2 (OH) 3 + NaOH ĺ C6H7O2(OH) 3NaOH
Scheme 2: Formation of alkali cellulose
The effects of this result to increase in luster, tensile strength, hygroscopicity, dye absorbability
and specula reflection (gloss) (Sadov et al. , 1973; Neal, 2004; Safra et al. , 2004 and Smith,
2010).
Recent work by Lee et al. (2005) revealed the use of liquid ammonia (NH3) treatment to be
more effective at improving the fabric hand of cotton and regenerated cellulose fibres than the
usual NaOH. Literature search has not revealed the use of such alkali and others or any other
agents on synthetic and cotton blends than the traditional NaOH. Thus, are there no other mild
alkalis or agents to be use for cotton and synthetic blends than the traditional NaOH? Such highly
alkaline NaOH mercerizing effluent is also for sure very hazardous to the environment more than
in the case with NaOH scouring effluent. This is because the NaOH mercerizing effluent is at
higher concentration.
However, the use of ammonium oxalate by Ajayi et al. (1997), Boryo et al. (1999) and
Boryo (1999) has proved to produce better mechanical properties on bast fibre than the
traditional NaOH. Further findings by Boryo et al. (2013a) and Boryo et al. (2013b) proved the
use of the alternative agents for scouring with improved dyeing and mechanical properties than
the commercial NaOH. These findings contributed a part to the birth of this present work.
This paper seeks to search for alternative mercerizing agents that will improve on the
mechanical properties, cheaper and environmentally friendly, so that this will in turn improve on
the economy of the nation and to also satisfy the fashion desire of the consumers of textile
materials.
The specific objectives are to determine the optimum alternative mercerizing agents with:
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¾ Little or no damaging effects on the cotton/ polyester blend fabric by evaluating some
mechanical properties like breaking load, breaking extension, linear density and dry
crease recovery.
¾ Friendly effects on the environment by monitoring the pH of the liquor before and after
the mercerizing processes.
¾ To evaluate the cost implications of the alternative mercerizing agents with respect to
the usual NaOH by cost analysis.
¾ Thus, this research aim at improving on the quality of fabrics and safety of the
environment which is in line with the vision of repositioning of Nigeria, that is “vision
20:20:20”
Hence, this study envision that the same alternative scouring agents may give promising
results as alternative mercerizing agents on cotton/ polyester blend fabric with respect to
mechanical and dyeing properties
2. Methods
2.1
Sample Collection
35% cotton/ 65% polyester blend fabric was bought from Funtua Textile Company Ltd in Katsina
State, Nigeria. The fabric were cut into 10cm by 10cm dimension
2.2
Souring Process
The fabrics were completely immersed in a beaker containing 2 % NaOH which had boiled for 5
minutes. I t was allowed to boil for 1 hour, rinsed, neutralized, washed in detergent solution and
then rinsed and dried in the labouratory. This was done according to the standard method of
Sadov et al (19 73) and Trotman (1975).
2.3
Bleaching Process
The scoured samples were bleached with 4g/ l NaClO2 solution in accordance to procedure
described by Sadov et al (1973).
2.4
Mercerization Process
The standard method of Sadov et al (1973) and Trotman (1975) was employed in this process.
The bleached samples were mercerized in separate beakers of 19% , 20% , 21% , 22% , and 23%
NaOH as control. Mercerization was carried out for 45 minutes at below 5oC. Samples were
rinsed, neutralized (appropriately), washed in detergent solution, rinsed and dried in the
laboratory. The pH of the process was monitored and recorded. The procedure was repeated for
19-23% NH4OH, liquid NH3, (NH3) 2C2O4, (COOH) 2, CH3COOH and CH3CH2OH as alternative agents
3. Evaluation of the Effects of Alternative Mercerizing Agent
3.1
Determination of Breaking Load and Breaking Extension:
These were evaluated in accordance with British Standard Method and American
Standard for Testing Materials using Tensometric Tester model 220D (Anon, 1974 and
Anon 1995).
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Determination of Linear Density
The linear density of fabrics describes the fineness or coarseness of textile and can be expressed
as tex. The expression proposed by Anonymous (1974); Morton and Hearle (1975) Anonymous
(1995) and used by Boryo, (1999) was employed. I t is defined as mass (g) per unit length (m).
For the evaluation of linear density, the stretched samples were cut at both ends removing the
masking ends. The remaining 5cm portions were weighed and recorded as mass of fabric then
employed in the calculation of the linear density.
Mass (g) × 1000
Linear Density = ----------------------------------- (tex)
Breaking Elongation (mm)
3.3
Determination of Dry Crease Recovery:
3.4
The method described by Anon (1974) and Anon (1995) was also adapted for this
evaluation.
“Shirley” loading device (DL 28) and “Shirley” crease recovery tester (SDL 3A) was
calibrated and used for this evaluation.
Determination of pH of Alternative Mercerizing Liquor
The pH values of the alternative mercerizing liquor were monitored before and after the
mercerizing process using pH.
3.5
Determination of cost I mplication of the Control and Alternative Mercerizing Agents
Market survey of the cost of the alternative mercerizing agents was carried out in comparison
with that of the control. Three different chemical shops in Jos, Kano and Bauchi were involved.
The average costs were calculated and the costs per 1 ml or 1g were evaluated for comparison.
4. Result and Discussion
4.1
Effects of Scouring, Bleaching and Alternative Mercerizing Agents on the Physical Properties
of Cotton/ Polyester Blend Fabric
Some physical changes were recorded during and after the pretreatment processes of the
cotton/ polyester blend fabric.
4.1.1 Scoured Samples
The scouring solution changed from colourless to slightly yellowish solution. This implies that
purification has taken place. The scoured fabric samples were cleaner, improved texture and
there were little decrease in dimensions of the treated fabrics. I t is expected to improve the
mechanical and dyeing properties of the samples in accordance to Sadov et al. (1973), Darinka et
al. (2000) and Safra et al. (2004).
4.1.2 Bleached Samples:
I t was observed that the bleaching solution of NaClO2 changed from cloudy solution to slightly
faint yellowish colour. This indicates that pigments and any remaining impurities in the fabrics
were removed. The bleached fabrics were whiter and brighter than the unbleached samples.
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Mercerized Samples with Alternative Agents:
All the samples swell and gradually untwist during mercerization especially for NaOH (control)
than the alternative agents. After drying, the samples became smooth, lustrous and glossy. There
was also reduction in dimension of the fabrics, which was more for the control than the fabrics
mercerized with the alternative agents.
These changes are as a result of the chemical reaction between the fabrics and agents,
which led to the formation of alkali cellulose. This in turns led to the hygral swelling making the
fabric to be lustrous, smooth and glossy due to specula reflection. This agrees with the theory of
NaOH mercerization described by Sadov et al. (1973); Neal (2004); Safra et al. (2004) and Smith
(2010). Since similar changes were observed for the alternative mercerization agents, it is
assumed that during mercerization, the fabric reacted with the respective agents to form
molecular compounds with the cellulose:
C6H7O2(OH) 3 + (NH4)2C2O4(aq) ĺ C6H7O2(OH) 3(NH4) 2C2O4(aq) or
C6H7O2(OH) 3 + 3(NH4)2C2O4(aq) ĺ C6H7O2(ONH4) 3 + 3H2C2O4
C6H7O2(OH) 3 + NH3(aq) ĺ C6H7O2(OH) 3NH3 or
C6H7O2(OH) 3 + 3NH3(aq) ĺ C6H7O2(ONH4) 3 + H2O
C6H7O2(OH) 3 + NH4OH(aq) ĺ C6H7O2(OH) 3NH4OH or
C6H7O2(OH) 3 + 3NH4OH(aq) ĺC6H7O2(ONH4) 3 + H2O
C6H7O2(OH) 3 + (COOH) 2 ĺ C6H7O2(OH) 3(COOH) 2 or
C6H7O2(OH) 3 + 3(COOH) 2 ĺ C6H7O2(O-COH) 3 + 3H2O
C6H7O2(OH) 3 + 3CH3COOH ĺ C6H7O2(OH) 3CH3COOH or
C6H7O2(OH) 3 + CH3COOH ĺ C6H7O2(OCOCH3) 3 + 3H2O
C6H7O2(OH) 3 + 3CH3CH2OH ĺ C6H7O2(OH) 3CH3CH2OH or
C6H7O2(OH) 3 + 3CH3CH2OH ĺ C6H7O2(OCH2CH3) 3 + 3H2O
Scheme 1: Proposed Reactions of the alternative agents with cellulose
This is believed to structurally modify the fabric and effect improvements on hygroscopicity,
mechanical and dyeing properties.
4.2
Effects of NaOH (control) and Alternative Mercerizing Agents on Mechanical Properties of
Cotton/ Polyester Blend Fabric
The alternative mercerizing agents displayed some effects on breaking load, breaking extension,
linear density and dry crease recovery properties of cotton/ polyester blend fabric.
4.2.1 Effect of Mercerizing Agents on Breaking Load of Cotton/ Polyester Blend Fabric:
Breaking load describe the force that can break the fabrics or fibre (Morton and Hearle, 1975 and
Taylor 1990). Figure 1 shows independent responses to breaking load of each mercerizing agents
in each case. This is confirmed by the significant improvement in breaking load as compared with
that of the untreated sample (9.75kgf). With respect to the control treatment, there is a kind of
very close competition with the alternative agents. This implies that these agents are effective as
mercerizing agents. Table 1 shows 19% NH4OH with optimum breaking load of 16.19kgf, slightly
higher than the control (23% NaOH 15.8 kgf). The other alternative agents recorded optimum
breaking load of 20% (NH4) 2CO 15.40kgf, 21% (COOH) 2 15.26 kgf, 19% liquid NH3 14.93kgf,
23% CH3CH2OH 14.81kgf and 23% CH3COOH 14.79kgf. These are compared favourably with the
control.
This signifies that these agents actually modified the structure physico-chemically (Sadov et
al., 1973). This is to say that, when the fabric swells during mercerization, it leads to change in
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the arrangements of units in the cellulose macromolecule. The fibres in the fabric became
tightened and the threads oriented to give smoothened alignments, improving and increasing
crystallinity. The fabric becomes strong. This is confirmed by these competitive breaking loads.
These improvements by alternative agents for mercerization process are even more effective than
when used as scouring agents. This is because the breaking loads of the fabric treated with the
mercerizing agents are higher than those with the scouring agents.
4.2.2 Effect of the Mercerizing Agents on Breaking Extension of Cotton/ Polyester Blend Fabric
Figure 2 shows the effect of mercerizing agents on breaking extension of cotton/ polyester blend
fabric. I t is observed that all the mercerizing agents improved the breaking extension of the fabric
samples. This is seen in the higher values of the breaking extension at various concentrations of
the agents as compared to that of the untreated sample (10.81% ). This implies that these agents
have positively modified the internal structure of the fabric. This led to reorientation and
alignment of the molecular units, thus improved crystalllinity of the fabric, hence improved
breaking extension (Safra et al., 2004 and Smith, 2010).
Table 1: Optimum breaking Load for the effect of Mercerizing Agents on Cotton/ Polyester Blend
Fabric
Mecerizing Agent
Concentration of mercerizing Agent (%)
Breaking load (kgf)
NH4OH
NaOH
(NH4) 2C2O4
(COOH) 2
Liquid NH3
CH3CH2OH
CH3COOH
Untreated
19
23
20
21
19
23
23
0
16.19
15.83
15.40
15.26
14.98
14.81
14.79
9.75
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Breaking extension shows the extent of fabric damage. Then this implies that the mercerizing
agents did not damage the fabric since there is improvement in the breaking extension of the
treated samples compared to the untreated sample.
However, only 19% (NH4) 2C2O4 mercerized fabric that recorded higher values (24.98% )
than 21% NaOH (control) mercerized fabric (23.84% ) while 19% CH3COOH mercerized fabric
(22.92% ) competed favourably with the control. The other agents gave a range between 17.35 13.82% higher than untreated fabric (10.81% ), (Table 2).
4.2.3 Effect of the Mercerizing Agents on Linear Density of Cotton/ Polyester Blend Fabric
Fine (smooth) fabrics have high linear density and are less damaged (Trotman, 1975 and Morton
and Hearle, 1975). With reference to Figure 3, it is observed that the untreated fabrics recorded
highest linear density (5.153 Tex) than the fabrics mercerized with the different agents. This
implies that the agents must have affected the surface of the fabrics making the fabrics less fine
(coarse and not smooth).
However, the interesting observation in the Figure 3 and Table 3 is that all the alternative
mercerizing agents recorded at one concentration or the other a higher value than the control.
The fabrics mercerized with the alternative agents recorded optimum linear density ranging from
3.8138 - 4.6904 tex, with 19% CH3CH2OH mercerized fabric recording the highest and the control
(NaOH) has a value of 3.4749 tex. This means that the alternative agents have achieved
mercerizing better than NaOH treatments. I t is believed that during mercerization fibre lumen
swell and become round and untwist out, when dry, the lumen collapse with fewer twist, creating
a round, smooth surface that reflect light creating a lustrous sheen (Beaudet, 1999). This implies
that these alternative agents are suitable and reliable substitute for the industrial and commercial
agents NaOH.
Table 2: Optimum Breaking Extension for the effect on Mercerizing Agents of Mercerized
Cotton/ Polyester Blend Fabric
Mercerizing Agent
(NH4) 2C2O4
NaOH
CH3COOH
(COOH) 2
NH4OH
Liquid NH3
CH3CH2OH
Untreated
Concentration of mercerizing Agent (%)
Breaking extension (%)
19
21
19
22
20
22
22
0
24.98
23.84
22.92
17.35
15.27
14.64
13.82
10.81
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Secondly, these alternative agents truly affected mercerization better than the control. This is in
the sense that the hygral swelling or expansion or contraction of the fibre length is due to
increase in the mass per unit length (tex) of the fibres. Hence better or more improvement in
linear density in the fabrics mercerized with the alternative agents than the control.
4.2.4 Effect of Mercerizing Agents on Dry Crease Recovery of Cotton/ Polyester Blend Fabric
Crease recovery describes the ability of creased or wrinkled fabrics to recover its original shape
over time. For any textile to be used in clothing, it must be flexible and capable of being crease
and folded to confirm the figure and be comfortable to wear (Taylor, 1990). I f textiles are to
retain a good appearance, the textiles must have good crease shedding properties, which is
recovery from unwanted crease that occurred in use and during laundry (Taylor, 1990)
With reference to Figure 4, it is observed that the alternative mercerizing agents influenced
and modified the fabric samples better than the control and the untreated samples. This can be
seen in the higher values of their dry crease recovery angles. Table 4 shows the optimum dry
crease recovery for the various agents. The order is 21% NH4OH (132.0 o), 19% liquid NH3
(130.5 o), 20% CH3CH2OH (126.5 o), 19% CH3COOH (126.5o), 19% (COOH) 2 (124.5o) 19%
CH3COOH (126.5o), 19% (COOH) 2 (124.5 o), 21% NaOH (123.5o) (control), 19% (NH4) 2C2O4
(116.5 o) and 0% untreated fabric (50o). Thus, alternative agents proved to be far better
mercerizing agents for cotton/ polyester fabric compared to the NaOH control and the untreated
fabric.
Table 3: Optimum Linear Density for the effect of Mercerizing Agents on Cotton/ Polyester Blend
Fabric
Mercerizing Agent
Concentration of mercerizing Agent (%)
Linear density (Tex)
CH3CH2OH
NH4OH
(COOH) 2
(NH4) 2C2O4
Liquid NH3
CH3COOH
NaOH
Untreated
19
21
23
23
21
23
23
0
4.6904
4.5833
4.1666
3.984
3.9717
3.8138
3.4749
5.153
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This is also explained theoretically on a structure molecular level. When fabric structure is bent
into crease, Morton and Hearle (1975) and Taylor (1990) suggested that two things can happen;
the cross-link may break and reform at new position. On removal of the load there will be no
recovery. Alternatively, the cross-links may be strained without breaking. Under this condition,
there would be a recovery on moving the load and no crease will result. I n view of this, fabrics
with lower crease recovery angle in this study might have been weakened more than those with
higher dry crease recovery angle, resulting in the breakage of the cross-links and little recovery.
However mercerization has drastically improved the crease recovery property compared to the
original sample and even the control treatments. I t is also observed that these alternative agents
were far more effective as mercerizing agents than as scouring agents in the previous work by
Boryo et al. (2013b). This is because the dry crease recovery angles for mercerization are far
higher than the dry crease recovery angles for scouring. This is possible because of the improved
alignment and crystallinity of the treated fabrics by the mercerizing agents than the impurity
removing property of the scouring agents.
4.2.5 Effect of Alternative Mercerizing Agents and Control (NaOH) on pH of Mercerized Liquor of
Cotton/ Polyester Blend Fabric
I t is observed that in most cases, there is decrease in pH at the end of the process and in a few
cases there is slight increase. This suggests that reactions occurred between the fabric and each
of the mercerizing agents.
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Table 4: Optimum Dry Crease Recovery for the effect of Mercerizing Agents on Cotton/ Polyester
Blend Fabric
Mercerizing Agent
Concentration of mercerizing Agent (%)
Dry crease recovery (°)
NH4OH
Liquid NH3
CH3CH2OH
CH3COOH
(COOH) 2
NaOH
(NH4) 2C2O4
Untreated
21
19
20
19
19
21
19
0
132.0
130.5
126.5
126.5
124.5
123.5
116.5
50.0
Table 5 shows the pH for the mercerization process. For NaOH mercerization process at the
beginning, the pH ranged from 11.40 - 11.80 and increased from 12.20 - 12.30 after the process.
This is highly alkaline and very unfriendly to the soil and aquatic lives when such a solution is
released to the environment. This high alkalinity is as a result of high degree of dissociation of
NaOH and thus high concentration of OH- . That is why there is need for mild alternative agents.
Liquid NH3 initially recorded a pH range of 11.17 - 11.24 and after the mercerizing process
increased to a range of 11.40 - 11.52 (Table 5).
This is also high but is less harmful when compared to NaOH. This is because only a small
percent of the molecules dissociated to form OH- (Caret et al. , 1997).
NH3(g) + H2O(l) ĺ NH3.H2O (aq)
NH3.H2O(aq) ĺ NH4+ (aq) + OH–(aq)
Scheme 2: I onization of ammonia
Liquid NH3 will ionize to a limited extend in solution to liberate NH4+ and OH- . Hence liquid NH3 is
a weak alkali (Ababio, 2003). Therefore as a weak base, the concentration of OH- is very low.
Thus, this will have minimal effect on the environment.
At the start of NH4OH mercerization process, the pH ranges from 11.63 - 11.80 (Table 5) for
the various mercerizing concentrations (19 - 23% ). As the reaction progressed the pH decreased
from 11.37 - 11.46. Despite the high pH, NH4OH ionizes to a limited degree in solution to liberate
NH4+ and OH- , because is a weak base. Thus, it is less harmful as compared to the control
(NaOH).
Table 5 revealed that at the start of the CH3CH2OH mercerization process the pH ranged
from 7.30 - 7.65. After the mercerization reaction the pH decreased to a range of 5.47 - 7.54.
This pH values, although slightly acidic and faintly alkaline are within the optimum range of a
suitable soil pH (7 - 8) for plant growth and streams/ lakes pH (6 - 9) for aquatic lives (SCHER,
2006). Secondly being an organic component will be biodegradable. I t also dissociates partially,
so weak alkali. Therefore, is friendlier than NaOH.
Table 5 showed initial pH range of 7.27 - 8.20 for (NH4) 2C2O4 mercerization process and
decreased to a range of 6.62 - 6.96. This also will not have adverse effect on disposal on the soil
or aquatic body. This is a better alternative to NaOH (control), since on dissociation it produces a
kind of neutral solution.
(NH4) 2C2O4(aq) ĺ NH4OH(aq) + (COOH) 2(aq)
Scheme 3: I onization of ammonia oxalate
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At the start of CH3COOH mercerization the pH range was 2.25 -2.37. I t changed with a pH range
of 2.32 - 2.40 at the end of the mercerization process (Table 5). Despite this pH range is very
acidic but being a weak acid an organic acid, it may not affect the environment much (soil and
aquatic body). Thus, it dissociates partially and thereby a better alternative than NaOH (control).
Oxalic acid is another weak acid. At the beginning of the mercerization (Table 5), the pH
ranged from 1.25 - 1.65 and changed from 1.29 - 1.47. This implies that it is an acidic solution
but may not show pronounced acidic properties because it is a weak organic acid, thus
dissociated partially. I t may not have any harmful effects on the environment on disposal, so
another alternative for the control (NaOH).
Table 5: pH Range for the effect of Mercerizing Agents before and after Mercerizing Process on
Cotton/ Polyester Blend Fabric
5. Cost Implication of the Mercerizing Alternative and Control Agents
Market survey of the cost of the alternative agents was carried out in comparison to that of the
control. This was done using chemical shops in Jos, Kano and Bauchi all in the Northern Nigeria.
NaOH, (NH4) 2C2O4, (COOH) 2 are in solid form while CH3CH2OH, CH3COOH, NH4OH and
Liquid NH3 are in liquid state. Therefore it is assumed that 1 g is equivalent to 1 ml or vice versa.
From Table 6, the average rate per ml or g for the alternative mercerizing agents ranged
from N 9.30 – N1.50 with the control agent costing N5.50. This shows that only (COOH) 2 and
(NH4) 2C2O4 that cost (N9.30 and N7.95 respectively) higher than the control. That
notwithstanding since in some quality parameters evaluated, the (COOH) 2 and (NH4) 2C2O4
recorded far better improvements than the control. Furthermore considering the hazardous effect
of the control on the environment, still makes (COOH) 2 and (NH4) 2C2O4 a better substitute for
NaOH.
All other alternative agents cost far less than the control and have improved the quality
performance of the treated cotton/ polyester blend fabric. These agents are also environmentally
friendlier than the control. Therefore, there is need for the embracement of these alternative
agents industrially and commercially. This will go a long way to improve the economy and satisfy
the fashion desire of the populace.
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Table 6: Average Cost of Alternative Mercerizing Agents and Control Agent NaOH
6. Conclusion
The alternative mercerizing agents (NH4OH, Liquid NH3, (NH4) 2C2O4, CH3CH2OH, CH3COOH and
(COOH) 2) proved to be suitable and reliable because the physical changes observed on the
treated fabric samples were in agreement with the theories of mercerization. The suitability and
reliability of these alternative mercerizing agents were confirmed by the improved mechanical
properties displayed by the mercerized fabric samples treated with alternative agents as
compared to the control fabrics mercerized with NaOH agent. I t was observed that the fabric
sample treated with some of the alternative agents recorded higher values for breaking load,
breaking extension, linear density, and dry crease recovery, than the control samples. I n some
cases fabric sample treated with the alternative mercerizing agents competed favourable with the
control sample.
The pH values (degree of alkalinity and acidity) of the alternative mercerizing agents were
friendlier to the environment and some are even biodegradable as compared to the highly strong
alkaline NaOH, which may be very hazardous to the soil and aquatic lives, corrosive to skin and
equipments.
The cost implication of using the alternative mercerizing agents is relatively cheaper when
compared with that of the control. Thus, the study has provided alternative agents that are
cheaper with improved quality fabric for the fashion conscious teaming population under safe
environment.
7. Recommendation
I t is recommended that the alternative mercerizing agents be adapted in the textile industry and
commercially.
8. Acknowledgement
This work would not have been possible without the sponsorship received from Ocean Energy
Nigeria Limited, Knorr 296, Ozumba Mbadiwe Street Victoria I sland Lagos NI geria. I am deeply
indebted to the company for taking interest in research and development.
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