Innovative Method for Demineralization of Cellulosic Substrates via Morpholinium Hydrogen Sulfate

Currently, replacement of hazardous chemicaltreatments with environmentally-friendly alternativescoupled with assimilation of different processes in onestep in order to save water and energy and prevent theproduction of waste is one of the priorities of industriesthat seek sustainable development and cleaner production.Conventional demineralization of cotton fabric is mostlycarried out using mineral acids which are corrosive, toxic,and above all, could cause fabric damage. In addition,demineralization as a separate step requires a high rate ofwater and energy consumption. This study examines thepossibility of simultaneous desizing and demineralizationusing an acidic and nonvolatile ionic liquid. Evaluation ofdifferent experimental conditions revealed that under propercondition via morpholinium hydrogen sulfate, simultaneousdemineralization and starch desizing of the cellulosicsubstrate could be carried out with a significant decrease inthe concentration of cationic metal ions like Fe۲+, Cu۲+, Mg۲+,Ca۲+, and Zn۲+ while the quality of desizing is at the samerange as conventional enzymatic hydrolysis (Tegewa: ۸-۹).This new method did not show any negative effects on thesubstrate tensile properties.

Keywords:

Demineralization , desizing , cotton fabric , Starch , cationic metal ions