Effect of Enzymatic Bio-scouring on the Dyeability, Physicochemical, and Mechanical Properties of Jute Fabrics

Scouring is necessary for the loom state jute fabrics in order to make them suitable for dyeing and finishing by improving their wettability by removing non-cellulosic matters from the fiber. Scouring is carried out at the boil with a cocktail of caustic soda, detergent, and wetting agent, and the process is energy-intensive. In this work, bio-scouring of jute fabrics was carried out using four kinds of enzymes, Esperase 4.0T (protease), xylanase, and Alcalase 2.5 L (alkaline protease) in a combination with cellulase. The performance of scouring of jute fabrics scoured with various enzymes was evaluated by measuring their whiteness index, hydrophilicity, wettability, and dyeability, and was compared with jute fabrics scoured by the traditional alkali scouring method. The effect of bio-scouring on the weight loss and tensile strength loss was assessed. Of the enzymes investigated, the combined treatment with 50/50 mixture of Alcalase and cellulase provided the best performance in terms of improvement in whiteness index, hydrophilicity, wettability, and dyeability, but also caused the highest loss in tensile strength. The conventional alkali scouring caused higher weight and tensile strength loss compared to enzymatic scouring treatments investigated, but produced poor whiteness index and also poor color strength when the treated jute fabrics were dyed with a direct dye and two reactive dyes. The developed treatment could be used in industry as an ecofriendly bio-scouring process.