Comparative performance evaluation of bleaching of Egyptian cotton fibers using different bleaching agents

Abstract

T he main objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of sodium percarbonate and sodium perborate utilization in cotton fiber bleaching instead of Hydrogen Peroxide and to compare the influence of these bleaching agents on performance of some Egyptian cotton varieties (G88, G90, G95, and G96).Bleaching efficiency is evaluated by the degree of whiteness, yellowness, micronaire value, Length, fiber strength and elongation percent. This research was conducted with bleaching using Oxygen bleaches comparable to the conventional bleaching agents such as Hydrogen Peroxide.Results showed that the bleaching with sodium Percarbonate (SPC) and sodium perborate (SPB) using three different concentrations brought an overall improvement in cotton fibers whiteness without decreasing the qualities of cotton fibers in comparison to hydrogen peroxide. This implies that these oxygen bleaches can replace the hydrogen peroxide. Moreover, oxygen bleaches are considered as good alternatives for other bleaches because of their economic and environmental impact as they are more stable and can be stored in a solid form. Besides, they can be active at lower temperatures.