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
  • D06L4/40—Bleaching fibres, filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics, feathers or made-up fibrous goods; Bleaching leather or furs using enzymes

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a process for enzymatic bleaching of natural non- cotton cellulose based fabrics.
• the present invention relates to a method for the bleaching of linen, flax, jute ramie and similar fabrics with an enzyme having xylanolytic activity.
• Enzymatic treatment of cellulosic fabrics has achieved a great deal of success in the industry.
• the cotton textile, and particularly denim, industry has adopted cellulase enzymes as alternatives for chemical processes in such textile processing steps as stonewashing, biopolishing and depilling.
• amylase enzymes have been adopted for use as desizing agents.
• Oxido-reductase enzymes have been proposed for use in the textile industry for the purpose of bleaching and dye transfer reduction.
• protease As useful agents in the laundering of soiled fabrics and clothing, with present technologies including the widespread use of protease, cellulase and amylase in detergent formulations.
• protease compositions useful in the removal of protein based stains from fabrics.
• cellulase, amylase, cutinase, lipase, peroxidase, oxidase and xylanase (WO 98/39402) have been suggested for use in laundry detergents for the removal of stains or for providing other desirable attributes to the laundered fabric.
• Xylans are complex heterpolymers mainly consisting of xylose and arabinose.
• Land plant xylans are composed of ⁇ -1 ,4 -linked- D-xylopyranosyi main chain, which may be substituted with acetyl residues and residues of arabinose and methyl glucuronic acid.
• Xylans are, after cellulose, the second most abundant carbohydrate in biomass. A number of enzymes are needed for the complete hydrolysis of xylans, of which hemicellulases are the most widely appreciated.
• Hemicellulases have also been suggested in the conversion of biomass to fuels (Viikari et al., "Hemicellulases for Industrial Applications", Bioconversion of Forest and Agricultural Wastes, Saddler, J. ed., CAB International, USA (1993)) and as additives for feed.
• a method for bleaching a non-cotton cellulosic fiber, yarn or fabric by contacting the fiber, yarn or fabric with a hemicellulase enzyme for a time and under conditions suitable to produce a whitening of the fiber, yarn or fabric.
• the hemicellulase enzyme is a xylanase or mannanase and most preferably a xylanase.
• the fiber, yarn or fabric comprises flax, jute, ramie or linen.
• the bleaching process of the invention occurs prior to the manufacture of a textile product. In another process embodiment of the invention, the bleaching process of the invention occurs on a clean, unsoiled textile product.
• the fiber, yarn or fabric bleached as provided herein is subsequently processed into a completed textile product.
• the fiber, yarn or fabric is treated with a hemicellulase in a continuous process or alternatively is treated with a hemicellulase in a batchwise process.
• a method for bleaching a non-cotton cellulosic fiber, yarn or fabric by contacting the fiber, yarn or fabric with a hemicellulase enzyme for a time and under conditions suitable to produce a whitening of the fiber, yarn or fabric.
• the hemicellulase enzyme is a xylanase or mannanase and most preferably a xylanase.
• the fiber, yarn or fabric comprises flax, jute, ramie or linen.
• the bleaching process of the invention occurs prior to the manufacture of a textile product. In another process embodiment of the invention, the bleaching process of the invention occurs on a clean, unsoiled textile product. In a process embodiment of the invention the fiber, yarn or fabric bleached as provided herein is subsequently processed into a completed textile product. In another process embodiment of the invention, the fiber, yarn or fabric is treated with a hemicellulase in a continuous process or alternatively is treated with a hemicellulase in a batchwise process.
• Hemicellulase as used herein means enzymes which catalyze the degradation and/or modification of hemicelluloses, including xylanase, mannanase, xylosidase, mannosidase, glucosidase, arabinosidase, glururonidase, and galactosidase.
• the hemicellulase is a xylanase which is understood to mean any xylan degrading enzyme which is either naturally or recombinantly produced.
• xylan degrading enzymes are endo- and exo-xylanases hydrolyzing xylan in an endo- or an exo- fashion and include such enzymes as endo-1 ,3 ? xylosidase, endo- ⁇ -1 ,4- xylanases (1 ,4- ⁇ -xylan xylanohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.8), 1 ,3-?-D-xylan xylohydrolase and ⁇ -1- 4-xylosidases (1 ,4- ⁇ -xylan xylohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.37) (EC Nos. 3.2.1.32, 3.2.1.72, 3.2.1.8, 3.2.1.37).
• Preferred xylanases are those which are derived from a filamentous fungus or a bacterial source, including, for example the fungi of the genera Aspergillus, Disportrichum, Penicillium, Humicola, Neurospora, Fusarium, Trichoderma and Gliocladium or of the bacterium Bacillus, thermotoga, Streptomyces, Microtetraspora, Actinmadura, Thermomonospora, Actinomyctes and Cepholosporum.
• the enzyme may be a xylanase enzyme which is engineered to have specific properties such as stability, activity or binding capabilities which are useful, or may be an enzyme which has little or no activity as a xylanase to begin with, but which is modified using principals of directed evolution or protein engineering to result in an enzyme having significant xylanase activity.
• “Bleaching” as used herein means the process of treating a fiber, fabric and/or yarn to produce a lighter color in said fiber, fabric or yarn. For example, bleaching as used herein means the whitening of the fabric by removal, modification or masking of color causing compounds in the cellulosic fiber.
• Non-cotton cellulosic fiber, yarn or fabric means fibers, yarns or fabrics which are comprised primarily of a cellulose based composition other than cotton. Examples of such compositions include linen, ramie, jute, flax and other similar compositions which are derived from non-cotton cellulosics.
• bleaching according to the instant invention comprises preparing an aqueous solution that contains an effective amount of a hemicellulase or a combination of hemicellulases together with other optional ingredients including, for example, a buffer or a surfactant.
• An effective amount of a hemicellulase enzyme composition is a concentration of hemicellulase enzyme sufficient for its intended purpose.
• an "effective amount" of hemicellulase in a composition intended to produce bleaching over a series of washes according to the present invention is that amount which will provide the desired effect, e.g., to improve the color properties of the non-cotton cellulose containing textile article in comparison with a similar method not using hemicellulase.
• the amount of hemicellulase employed is also dependent on the equipment employed, the process parameters employed, e.g., the temperature of the hemicellulase bleaching solution, the exposure time to the hemicellulase solution, and the hemicellulase activity (e.g., a particular solution will require a lower concentration of hemicellulase where a more active hemicellulase composition is used as compared to a less active hemicellulase composition).
• concentration of hemicellulase in the aqueous bleaching solution can be readily determined by the skilled artisan based on the above factors as well as the desired result.
• a buffer may be employed in the treating composition such that the concentration of buffer is sufficient to maintain the pH of the solution within the range wherein the employed hemicellulase exhibits the desired activity.
• the pH at which the hemicellulase exhibits activity depends on the nature of the hemicellulase employed.
• the exact concentration of buffer employed will depend on several factors which the skilled artisan can readily take into account.
• the buffer as well as the buffer concentration are selected so as to maintain the pH of the final hemicellulase solution within the pH range required for optimal hemicellulase activity.
• the determination of the optimal pH range of the hemicellulase of the invention can be ascertained according to well known techniques.
• Suitable buffers at pH within the activity range of the hemicellulase are also well known to those skilled in the art in the field.
• the treating composition may contain a surfactant, i.e., a cationic, nonionic or anionic surfactant.
• Suitable surfactants include any surfactant compatible with the hemicellulase being utilized and the fabric including, for example, anionic, non-ionic and ampholytic surfactants.
• Suitable anionic surfactants include, but are not limited to, linear or branched alkylbenzenesulfonates; alkyl or alkenyl ether sulfates having linear or branched alkyl groups or alkenyl groups; alkyl or alkenyl sulfates; olefinsulfonates; alkanesulfonates and the like.
• Suitable counter ions for anionic surfactants include, but are not limited to, alkali metal ions such as sodium and potassium; alkaline earth metal ions such as calcium and magnesium; ammonium ion; and alkanolamines having 1 to 3 alkanol groups of carbon number 2 or 3.
• Ampholytic surfactants include, e.g., quaternary ammonium salt sulfonates, and betaine-type ampholytic surfactants. Such ampholytic surfactants have both the positive and negative charged groups in the same molecule.
• Nonionic surfactants generally comprise polyoxyalkylene ethers, as well as higher fatty acid alkanolamides or alkylene oxide adduct thereof, and fatty acid glycerine monoesters. Mixtures of surfactants can also be employed in manners known to those skilled in the art. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to adjust the parameters discussed above for the purpose of controlling the enzymatic degradation.
• the pH can be adjusted at certain time points to extinguish the activity of the hemicellulase and prevent undesirable excessive degradation.
• other art recognized methods of extinguishing enzyme activity may be implemented, e.g., chemical treatment, protease treatment and/or heat bleaching.
• the tergotometer was set at the following parameters: 40 centigrade, 90rpm agitation speed, 60 minutes wash time, (2) The tergotometer's water bath was set to heat to 40 centigrade, then appropriate amount of distilled water added to achieve 1 liter total volume of wash liquor.
• the swatches were dried using a steam press at a medium heat level for 10 - 15 seconds.
• Both xylanase enzymes showed a distinct bleaching effect on raw natural linen fabrics.
• the raw linen swatches which are an off-white color prior to washing, turned white after 1 cycle at 60 minutes wash, pH 7.0 and 40°C with xylanase.
• Both xylanases showed a decreasing b * color scale values on raw linen swatches after treatment with these enzymes at 60 minutes, 40°C and pH 7.0 washing conditions.

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Citations (3)

• 2000
  • 2000-12-16 EP EP00988111A patent/EP1242668B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-12-16 AT AT00988111T patent/ATE322569T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-12-16 CN CN00817564A patent/CN1413278A/zh active Pending
  • 2000-12-16 DK DK00988111T patent/DK1242668T3/da active
  • 2000-12-16 AU AU24357/01A patent/AU2435701A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-12-16 DE DE60027200T patent/DE60027200T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-12-16 WO PCT/US2000/034243 patent/WO2001048300A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 2000-12-16 BR BR0016640-5A patent/BR0016640A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2000-12-16 MX MXPA02006252A patent/MXPA02006252A/es unknown
  • 2000-12-16 CA CA002394964A patent/CA2394964C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2002
  • 2002-05-27 NO NO20022491A patent/NO20022491L/no not_active Application Discontinuation

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