The polycarboxylic acids 1,2,3,4‐butanetetracarboxylic acid and citric acid are used as nonformaldehyde durable press finishing agents instead of formaldehyde‐releasing N‐methylol compounds. In this study, isocratic HPLC is applied in an attempt to quantify the polycarboxylic acids that react with cellulosic material dyed with CI Reactive Red 195, CI Reactive Yellow 145 and CI Reactive Blue 221. Subsequently, the fabrics are cured with formulations containing butanetetracarboxylic acid and citric acid or a combination of both. The chromatographic determination reveals that an increase in the depth of shade results in a decrease of the amount of butanetetracarboxylic acid, except in the case when the cotton is dyed with CI Reactive Blue 221, a copper formazan complex‐based dyestuff. Colour measurements indicate that the ΔE* values decrease in the order CI Reactive Yellow 145, CI Reactive Red 195 and CI Reactive Blue 221.

Wood specimens of fir (Abies alba Mill) and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) were chemically modified using polycarboxylic acids (PCA), cured by convection heating or microwave treatment and analyzed by HPLC. A new non-formaldehyde cross-linking system was composed of citric acid (CA) and 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA), which are representative polycarboxylic acids (PCAs). These reagents require phosphono-based catalysts, so a sodium hypophosphite (SHP) catalyst was used in this study. The effects of PCA treatment were compared with a previously introduced 1,3-dimethylol 4,5-dihydroxy ethylene urea (DMDHEU) treatment. The dimensional stability of the modified wood was determined in terms of the anti-swelling efficiency (ASE) using the water soak/oven dry method. The results revealed an improvement in ASE for wood modified with PCA compared to modification with DMDHEU. Qualitative and quantitative determinations of bound acids were performed by HPLC. Further intensification of the wood modification process and an increase in the quality of wood-based materials were achieved using microwave treatment. Among other benefits, the formation of cross-links between the wood and the reagent components led to an improvement in the tensile strength retention, particularly in combination with the microwave treatment.

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The purpose of sizing is to improve physical-mechanical parameters of warp threads, thus, decreasing thread breakage rate in weaving [1][2][3][4][5]. Good sizing consists not only of sizing, but also of drying, which has not been fully investigated to date. As size particles are found in the solution, they move over the whole cross-section of the yarn during the drying process. Yarn drying has changed due to the development of sizing machines. The first dryers were mostly convection ovens in which air currents were used for warp drying. Today, contact drying is the most widely used. It was of great interest to perform research into the possible usage of microwave in the warp sizing, with regard to the performance as well as economical reasons. No such paper has been found in the published literature.For the purpose of this study, we used a newly constructed sizing laboratory device presented in Figure 1. Various types of dryers, convection (I), contact (II) and microwave (III), could be applied after the sizing process. The sizing device enabled a continuous control and regulation of the following parameters: sizing velocity, temperature of the sizing agent, tension and inlet moisture of the warp, outlet moisture of the warp, after drying and drying intensity. The dryer should dry the sized warp in a short period of time to the moisture content it had before sizing, or even less than that. The highest energy consumption in sizing is in the drying procedure. Therefore, the research and development of microwave drying of the sized warp could lead to a considerable reduction in energy consumption.The idea of microwave (MW) application for textile finishing processes first originated in the 1970s when cellulose fabrics were treated with Durable Press (DP) finishing agents and cured in the microwave oven. Although these first results were promising, the idea was abandoned until 1995, when Miller patented his Pre-set process without being aware of the earlier patent. Both cases involved garment microwave treatment, but they were abandoned because the efforts to control the process failed. Until now, microwaves have been used for textile finishing in the combined desizing, scouring and bleaching processes, durable press finishing [6, 7], dyeing and drying processes, as well as for eradication of insects from wool textiles. 1 Microwave dielectric heating is based on activation of polar molecules in treated medium (polarization phenomenon). In a microwave electromagnetic field oscillating at 2.5 GHz, which is a preferred frequency for heating applications, the charge changes polarity nearly five billion times per second. Under the influence of a high frequency Abstract The paper describes our research of microwave usage in drying the size pick-up. An analysis of three different drying processes in relation to physical-mechanical properties of sized yarn has been carried out. Under the same sizing conditions, but different drying methods, the following parameters were determined: breaking force, elongation at break, abrasi...

In this study, the microbial barrier properties of textiles for two bacterial endospores were investigated. The reusable hospital textiles (PET/cotton and Tencel®) most commonly recommended for the manufacture of healthcare professional uniforms were tested for microorganism permeability. The three-layer textile laminate PET/PU/PET, which meets the European standards for surgical drapes EN 13795, was used as the reference material in this study. The microbial barrier properties of PET/cotton, Tencel®, PET/PU/PET, and corresponding seams were tested after 1, 10, 20, 30 and 50 washing-and-sterilization cycles. Washing and sterilization were performed by hospital laundry services under strict and controlled conditions. The testing of dry textile materials was conducted under newly developed methods. The most resistant forms of microorganisms of apathogenic bacterial endospores of the Bacillus genus Geobacillus stearothermophilus and Bacillus atrophaeus were used for investigating the microbial barrier permeability of textiles. This research is the first to investigate the permeability of these microorganisms in dry conditions. Additionally, the microbial barrier properties of the seams of these textiles were investigated. Regression analyses were performed and the effects of the seams on microorganism permeability were determined. It can be concluded that the two most commonly used seam types for the manufacture of healthcare uniforms do not have a significant influence on microbial barrier efficacy; however, the seam type 1.01.05/504.504.301 is more suitable for the manufacture of healthcare professional uniforms.