Abstract The current levels of resource consumption in traditional wet textile processes are no longer sustainable. This study, therefore, investigated the development of environmentally friendly pre-treatments using nanobubble technology. The nanobubble-containing water used in the study was optimized and characterized. Pre-treatment processes were carried out both individually and in combination with different recipes and liquor ratios. The results for key parameters in each pre-treatment process, such as desizing degree, wettability, whiteness, and tear strength, were then compared with those of conventional processes. The environmental impact of each process was determined by its chemical oxygen demand. Changes to the surface of the samples were analysed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Similar desizing values were obtained using 30% less water than in the conventional method using water containing only nanobubbles. The whiteness values of samples oxidatively desized with only nanobubbles at a low liquor ratio were comparable after combined scouring + bleaching. In the combined desizing + scouring + bleaching process, nanobubbles provided tear strength and whiteness results similar to those of the conventional method at lower liquor ratios. According to scanning electron microscopy, nanobubbles produced cleaner surfaces than soft water. Additionally, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that starch had been removed from the fibre surface, with no significant difference being created by the nanobubbles. It was concluded that using nanobubbles in cotton pre-treatment significantly reduced water consumption without compromising fabric quality, thus lowering water costs.
Aniş et al. (Wed,) studied this question.