ABSTRACT
I. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 280 A. Textile Fiber Consumption........................................................................ 280 B. Textile Processes ....................................................................................... 281 C. Uniqueness of Textile Chemicals.............................................................. 282 D. Surfactant’s Role in Textile Processing .................................................... 283 E. Surfactant’s Market in Textile Chemicals................................................. 283
II. Surfactants in Textile Preparation ......................................................................... 284 A. Naturally Occurring Impurities on Textile Fibers .................................... 284
1. Impurities on Raw Cotton ........................................................ 284 2. Impurities on Raw Wool ........................................................... 284 3. Impurities on Raw Silk ............................................................. 285
B. Process-Added Impurities on Textile Fibers............................................. 285 1. Sizing Agents ............................................................................. 285 2. Yarn Lubricants.......................................................................... 286
C. Desizing Agents......................................................................................... 286 D. Scouring Agents ........................................................................................ 287 E. Bleaching Assistants.................................................................................. 288
III. Surfactant Applications in Textile Dyeing............................................................ 289 A. Leveling Agents......................................................................................... 290
1. Cellulose Dyeing........................................................................ 290 2. Polyester Dyeing........................................................................ 291 3. Wool Dyeing .............................................................................. 292 4. Acrylic Fiber Dyeing ................................................................. 292
B. Dispersing Agents ..................................................................................... 294
C. Wetting and Penetrating Agents................................................................ 294 D. Foaming and Defoaming........................................................................... 295 E. Aftertreatment Applications ...................................................................... 296
IV. Surfactant Applications in Textile Printing........................................................... 297 V. Surfactant Applications in Textile Finishing ........................................................ 298
A. Softeners .................................................................................................... 298 B. Antistatics .................................................................................................. 300 C. Other Finish Applications ......................................................................... 301
1. Antimicrobial Finishing. ............................................................ 301 2. Water/Oil Repelling and Soil-Release Finishing. ..................... 301 3. Optical Finishing........................................................................ 302
References ....................................................................................................................... 302
I. INTRODUCTION
From textile fibers to consumer garments, many textile processes are needed to meet consumers’ demands on fabric aesthetic and functional properties. Except for spinning and weaving, most textile processes involve fiber/yarn/fabric/garment treatments in aqueous solutions and surfactants play an important role in practically every wet processing. In 1998, global surfactant consumption in the textile industry was about $2 billion which accounted for about 25% of the total textile chemicals excluding textile dyes [1]. This surfactant market share is relatively higher in developing countries such as China, etc. because the industry there is very strong on textile preparation and dyeing which heavily use surfactants as processing assistants. On the other hand, developed countries such as United States and Western Europe have lower surfactant market shares due to their strong business in textile finishes and coatings that normally do not need large amount of surfactants in these processes.
