Production of Antimicrobial Nonwoven Fabrics Based on Polyamide-6 (PA-6) Fibers on Industrial Scale

Abstract

The ultimate goal of this article is to produce antimicrobial PA-6 nonwoven fabrics on industrial scale. Therefore, the adaptation and development of pilot conditions for imparting PA textile materials antimicrobial properties is highly needed. This will pave the way for establishment a technological package for the production of antimicrobial PA nonwoven fabrics on industrial scale. The effect of semi-industrial scale finishing conditions, mainly antimicrobial substrate (AS) concentration, duration and temperature on the (%) colony forming unit (CFU) reduction after treatment with aqueous solutions of AS was examined. The antimicrobial activity of PA treated with AS fibers against S. areus, E. Coli and C. albicans was investigated using the shake flask method. All PA-6 fibers bounded with AS showed outstanding antimicrobial activities against the previously mentioned three microorganisms. In fact the % of CFU reduction for all PA-6 samples are significant, whereas it is null for the parent fibers.