Correct Pretreatment – The First Step to Quality in Modern Textile Processing
Cotton continues to be a very widely used natural fibre. However, it becomes ever more difficult to define it exactly in chemical terms, because the variety and quantity of non-cellulosic constituents in the raw cotton are continually increasing in number and becoming more difficult to specify. Modern pretreatment processes take full account of the specific quality requirements, and naturally also the relevant cost factors (energy, effluent, processing costs). By these means the bleacher can now convert raw cotton into a chemically uniform and defined cellulosic textile substrate for the subsequent processes. In this form, either alone or in blends with synthetic fibres, it is accessible for dyeing, printing and finishing processes that can be readily controlled and reproduced