Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06L—DRY-CLEANING, WASHING OR BLEACHING FIBRES, FILAMENTS, THREADS, YARNS, FABRICS, FEATHERS OR MADE-UP FIBROUS GOODS; BLEACHING LEATHER OR FURS
  • D06L4/00—Bleaching fibres, filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics, feathers or made-up fibrous goods; Bleaching leather or furs
  • D06L4/10—Bleaching fibres, filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics, feathers or made-up fibrous goods; Bleaching leather or furs using agents which develop oxygen
  • D06L4/17—Bleaching fibres, filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics, feathers or made-up fibrous goods; Bleaching leather or furs using agents which develop oxygen in an inert solvent

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an improved process for bleaching cellulosic fibers with a peroxide composition. It relates particularly to a process whereby rapid bleaching of cellulosic fibers is obtained by use of aqueous peroxide in combination with a chlorinated hydrocarbon solvent.
• Cotton and other cellulosic textile fibers and fabrics have been bleached in the past with aqueous solutions of peroxide, usually hydrogen peroxide. Although effective bleaching was obtained, this kind of process typically required immersion of the material in a boiling peroxide solution for periods of time up to several hours.
• a more rapid bleaching and desizing process has been developed wherein a suspension of aqueous hydrogen peroxide in trichloroethylene or other such chlorinated solvent is applied to the textile material and the wetted material is then steamed to remove the solvent, see, for example, Gennan Offenleg. Pat. No. 2,022,929.
• the treated material is then subjected to aqueous washing and rinsing and finally it is dried.
• the bleaching action thereby provided is relatively rapid, only partial bleaching is obtained and the subsequent washing, rinsing, and drying steps which are required make the entire process a rather lengthy one.
• the preferred bleaching component in the present process is hydrogen peroxide which is ordinarily supplied in the form of one of its commercially available aqueous solutions.
• Other peroxygen compounds which can be used in the present process are hydroperoxides, peroxyacids and their salts and other peroxides. Examples of these include tert-butyl hydroperoxide, peracetic acid, sodium perborate, and sodium peroxide.
• the concentration of aqueous hydrogen peroxide can vary from about 10 percent to about 60 percent by weight and a concentration of about 10-50 percent is preferred. Equivalent concentrations of other peroxy compounds can be used.
• the total amount of peroxide in the system can vary from about 0.05 percent to about 15 percent, preferably to about 5 percent, based on the weight of fiber. The same limits apply to the water.
• ethylene dichloride propylene dichloride, methyl chlo roform, trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene or mixtures thereof.
• Trichloroethylene and especially perchloroethylene are preferred.
• the temperature of the solvent-aqueous peroxide mixture used to wet the unbleached fiber by immersion, spraying, or padding is suitably about room temperature or moderately above that.
• the solvent-aqueous peroxide mixture is preferably in the form of an emulsion or suspension maintained by the presence of a small quantity of surface active agent, usually in the range of about 001-] percent based on the liquid weight.
• a surface active agent capable of creating a water-in-chlorinated solvent suspension is operable and anionic, nonionic, and cationic materials can be used.
• the surface active agent can be any of the commonly used textile or dry cleaning wetting agents which are soluble at least to the extent of 0.01 percent in chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents.
• Representative materials are petroleum sulfonates, the diethanolamide of lauric acid, polyethylene oxide adducts of long chain alcohols or alkylphenols, either as the nonionic adducts or as phosphate esters of these, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, and other such compounds. All are effective in the process although practical considerations restrict the choice to compounds that do not discolor the textile material or leave an objectionable residual odor on it, that are not destroyed by the peroxide present, and that are not skin sensitizers.
• the presence of a surface active agent is not critical to operability of the bleaching process, but it is preferred particularly for the rapid fiber wettability and greater absorbency thereby obtained.
• the aqueous phase in the system is preferably neutral or moderately basic, for example, about pH 7-11.
• the pH level can be adjusted as desired by addition of small amounts of base or buffering compound such as sodium hydroxide, sodium oxalate, sodium silicate, sodium bicarbonate or ammonia.
• This process is particularly effective and valuable in bleaching raw cotton and cotton linters in which application it provides fast and effective treatment. It is also applicable to bleaching of cellulosic fibers and fabrics generally, for example, cotton in polyester blends, linen, ramie, and other fibers of plant origin.
• the process can also be applied as an adjunct to or substitute for conventional dry cleaning of white goods. Additives such as optical brighteners, antiredeposition agents, and the like can also be present in the system.
• a process for bleaching a cellulosic fiber material which comprises wetting the material with a mixture of aqueous peroxide and chlorinated lower hydrocarbon solvent, the concentration of said peroxide calculated on the basis of hydrogen peroxide equivalent being about 10-60 percent based on the weight of aqueous solution, and contacting the wetted material with superheated chlorinated lower hydrocarbon solvent vapor until the material is essentially dry.
• aqueous peroxide-solvent mixture contains about 0.01-1 percent based on the weight of mixture of a surface active agent capable of converting said mixture into a stable suspension.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Treatments For Attaching Organic Compounds To Fibrous Goods (AREA)
• Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
• Detergent Compositions (AREA)
• Organic Low-Molecular-Weight Compounds And Preparation Thereof (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=26258328

Family Applications (2)

Family Applications After (1)

Country Status (9)

Cited By (6)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1972
  • 1972-06-07 GB GB2660372A patent/GB1395236A/en not_active Expired
  • 1972-06-07 US US00260599A patent/US3762862A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1973
  • 1973-05-07 CA CA170,546A patent/CA1002260A/en not_active Expired
  • 1973-05-09 AU AU55462/73A patent/AU470457B2/en not_active Expired
  • 1973-05-23 DE DE2326364A patent/DE2326364A1/de active Pending
  • 1973-05-25 CA CA172,299A patent/CA996940A/en not_active Expired
  • 1973-05-30 AU AU56269/73A patent/AU5626973A/en not_active Expired
  • 1973-06-04 US US05/366,604 patent/US3998843A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1973-06-05 FR FR7320405A patent/FR2187984B1/fr not_active Expired
  • 1973-06-06 BE BE131930A patent/BE800523A/xx unknown
  • 1973-06-06 NL NL7307860A patent/NL7307860A/xx unknown
  • 1973-06-06 NL NL7307885A patent/NL7307885A/xx not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1973-06-06 AT AT497973A patent/AT323151B/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1973-06-06 DE DE2328896A patent/DE2328896A1/de active Pending
  • 1973-06-06 GB GB2693073A patent/GB1430298A/en not_active Expired
  • 1973-06-06 FR FR7320645A patent/FR2187297B1/fr not_active Expired
  • 1973-06-07 BE BE132022A patent/BE800623A/xx unknown

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