Authors R Bhala, V Dhandhania, AP Periyasamy
In general, the term finishing applies to all of the operations, both chemical and physical, carried out on the grey fabric. From this point of view, finishing can be considered as a very wide range of operations. In textiles, chemicals are widely used to add value to fabrics through effects varying from various feels such as soft, supple, dry feel, bouncy etc. and/or to adding to the functionality and durability of the fabric such as water-oil repellent finish, wrinkle free finish, moisture management, stain protection etc.; because of the use of these chemicals, the environment gets affected. As textiles have always been one of the most environment polluting industries, an attempt to innovate a suitable textile processing method (that delivers not only ecofriendly finished products but also does not hamper the surrounding environment due to emissions and effluent discharges) has been made. This resulted in a good alternative of finishing of fabrics using enzymes and other biomaterials which is known as bio-finishing. Bio-finishing can be simply defined as a biological way of giving wet treatment to the textiles. It includes enzymatic desizing, bio-scouring, bio bleaching, bio washing, biopolishing, finishing using biopolymers, aromatherapy and specialty finishes like wrinkle free effect, antimicrobial finish, deep sleep finishing etc. by using some or the other biological means which have been classified ahead, The main bio-finishing methods are enzymatic bio-finishing responsible for enhancing a number of fabric properties, its appearance and feel. Apart for this main method of bio-finishing, some naturally available biopolymers are used like chitosan and ?-cyclodextrin which are responsible for antimicrobial finishing treatments. Also, some aromatherapies like neem, rose, lavender, jasmine, aloe vera, and many others are used for bio-finishing of fabrics to inculcate properties like anti-microbial, fragrance, deep sleeping finish, anti-inflammatory etc., Bio-washing of cellulosic, Enzymatic degradation, Cellulases act as catalysts in a complex hydrolysis of reaction which involves several complicated steps. Their primary object is to break down the cellulose chains in easily accessible areas of the fibres into smaller soluble saccharides, the final end-product being glucose. According to prevailing hypothesis, cellobiohydrolase (CBH) attacks the chain ends of cellulose polymers to release cellobiose, the repeating unit of cellulose. Endoglucanase (EG) reduce the degree of polymerization of cellulose by attacking the amorphous region of cellulose by random scission of cellulose chains. Beta-glucosidase (BG) completes the process of hydrolyzing cellobiose to glucose, There are various different parameters, e.g. synergism of cellulases, pre-treatment of cotton, treatment solution conditions, and machinery that affect the ability of cellulases to act on cotton cellulose. Finishing using bio-polymers, Chitosan, Chitin/chitosan has chemical structures very similar to that of cellulose such as cotton and rayon. Chitin is the natural polysaccharide biologically produced by living creatures in huge quantities. Its production is next to the cellulose, which is biologically crabs, lobsters, and squids. It is also found in Insects like dragonflies, grasshoppers, and beetles. It is also estimated that about 1,50,000 tons of chitin is available for commercial use annually. Under the pretext of Eco friendliness, chitosan plays an important role in textile finishing. Various finishes given to textile material using chitosan can be listed as follows: a) Wrinkle free finish, b) Antimicrobial finish, antimicrobial finishes. There is a great demand for antimicrobial finishes on textile goods because consumer has become aware of the potential advantages of this material. The chemicals used however are toxic to human and not easily degraded in the environment. Thus, use of chitosan for antimicrobial finishes becomes an ecofriendly substitute. The antimicrobial activity of chitosan is against various bacteria and fungi. The antimicrobial activity of chitosan against different groups of microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi. Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis), belongs to the family Liliaceae, has been used in traditional medicinal practices as well as cosmetic uses. Aloe vera has excellent skin care properties which includes anti-inflammatory and anti-aging. Application of Aloe vera on textiles as an anti-ageing and moisturizing agent has been patented by Kimberley Clark Inc Ltd. DyStar Auxiliaries GmbH has developed a textile finishing product containing a combination of vitamin E, Aloe vera and jojoba oil in a silicon matrix for moisturizing and UV protection effect. This finish can also be applied on silk fabrics. Comparison of washing fastness of fabrics treated with Neem and Aloe vera, the results obtained from the serial dilution of the samples from washing fastness, there was no bacterial growth in the finished samples up to 15 washings. After 15 washings, there was less bacteria observed in neem finished cotton and silk samples and in the cotton, sample finished with both, the antimicrobial agents in combination. The cotton and silk samples finished with Aloe vera show no bacterial growth even after 20 washings. After 25 washing cycles, all samples show some bacterial colonies. Aloe vera samples show the lowest level of bacterial growth. Hence, it is obvious that Aloe vera finish has the best durability for washing. Second comes the combination finish, and samples finished with neem show comparatively a lower level of durability for washing.
