A novel green approach for reactive printing of cotton/cellulosic regenerated blended fabrics using trisodium nitrilotriacetate

Abdalla A Mousa ¹, Alsaid A Almetwally ², Sahar H Nassar ³

⁰Dyeing, Printing and Dye Intermediates Department, Textile Research and Technology Institute, National Research Centre, 33 EL Buhouth St, Dokki, 12622, Giza, Egypt. mousanrc@gmail.com.

Scientific Reports +

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October 24, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Trisodium nitrilotriacetate (TNA) effectively replaces urea and alkali in reactive printing of cotton/cellulosic blends. This eco-friendly method achieves excellent fastness properties, offering a sustainable alternative for the textile industry.

Area Of Science

Textile Chemistry
Sustainable Materials Science
Dyeing and Printing Technologies

Background

Cotton and regenerated cellulosic fabrics (e.g., bamboo, Tencel, modal) are popular textile choices.
Blending these fibers creates promising new materials for the apparel industry.
Conventional reactive printing uses urea, leading to high-nitrogen effluent, posing ecological concerns.

Purpose Of The Study

To investigate trisodium nitrilotriacetate (TNA) as a sustainable substitute for urea and alkali in reactive printing.
To evaluate the printability and fastness properties of cotton/cellulosic regenerated blended fabrics using TNA-based print pastes.
To establish an environmentally friendly reactive printing process for cellulosic blends.

Main Methods

Three print pastes were prepared: urea/alkali, TNA/alkali, and TNA without alkali.
CI Reactive Black 5 was used for printing cotton/cellulosic regenerated blended fabrics.
Printability was assessed based on color strength, dye fixation, penetration, leveling, and fastness properties, considering factors like dye and TNA concentrations and steaming time.

Main Results

All tested print pastes, including those with TNA, yielded excellent to good fastness properties.
Trisodium nitrilotriacetate (TNA) demonstrated viability as a complete replacement for urea and alkali.
The study confirmed the effectiveness of TNA in achieving high-quality prints on cellulosic blends.

Conclusions

Trisodium nitrilotriacetate (TNA) is a viable and eco-friendly alternative to urea and alkali in reactive printing.
This approach significantly reduces the environmental impact of textile printing by eliminating urea.
The developed method offers a sustainable solution for printing cellulosic and blended fabrics with reactive dyes.

Keywords:

Blends printing Environmental printing processes. Regenerated cellulosic fabrics Reactive printing and reactive dyes Trisodium nitrilotriacetate

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