Low temperature, acidic, bacterial lipase for scouring of raw cotton fabrics

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Bacterial lipase produced by Bacillus licheniformis is used for scouring of cotton fabrics under acidic pH (5.0–6.0) and low temperature (40–50°C) conditions compared to alkali scouring. Process conditions in lipase scouring were optimized using Taguchi method using L9 orthogonal array experimental set-up. Removal of lipid substances shows significant improvement in the drop absorbency values (2–20 s) with weight loss values in the range of 1.90–5.50%. Lipase treatment also results in reduced abrasion resistance, lower crease recovery angle (113–115°), and shows the potential for scouring cotton fabrics, commercially. Results of FTIR also substantiate the removal of waxy substances present in the raw cotton fibres.