Investigation of an effluent treatment system for an integrated textile facility

Available effluent treatment systems to treat wool scour and dyehouse wastewaters were investigated. Electroflotation was found to be the most practicable treatment process as it had the ability to reduce the contaminant load in wastewaters. The quality of the treated wastewaters was then suitable for disposal to sewer or reuse on site.

Characterisation of an out-of-autoclave resin film infusion process for textile composites

A new method to manufacture damage tolerant textile composites, which combines Resin Film Infusion with a fast and cost·efficient curing technology QuickstepTM, was investigated. The effect of process parameters on resin flow through carbon fibre preforms was analysed and model-based parameter optimisation resulted in considerable improvement of resin flow properties.

Nanofiltration for the possible reuse of water and recovery of sodium chloride salt from textile effluent

During the reactive dyeing of cotton, salts such as sodium chloride (NaCI) are placed in a dyebath to aid the exhaustion of various dyes onto the fabric while bases are added to raise the pH from around neutral to pH 11 to achieve fixation. Afterwards, the used dyebath solution, called dyebath spent liquor, is discharged with almost all the salts and bases added as well as unfixed dyes. Consequently, many raw materials are lost in the waste stream ending up in the environment as pollutants. In this study possibilities of reusing the water and salts of dyebaths were investigated using a nanofiltration membrane. When the NaCI concentration in the spent liquor was increased from 10 to 80 g/L, the NaC1 rejection by the membrane was found to decrease initially; however, the NaC1 rejection increased over time, which was not expected. The aggregation of dye was also studied and found to decrease in the concentrate when the salt concentration was increased. This information is useful for the textile industry in evaluating the treated water quality for the purpose of reuse.

The impact of textile wet colouration on the environment in 2011

Wet textile colouration has the highest environmental impact of all textile processing steps. It consumes water, chemicals and energy and produces liquid, heat and gas waste streams. Liquid effluent streams are often quite toxic to the environment. There are a number of different dyeing processes, normally fibre type specific, and each has a different impact on the environment. This research investigated the energy, chemical and water requirements for the exhaust colouration of cotton, wool, polyester and nylon. The research investigated the liquid waste biological and chemical oxygen demand, salinity, pH and colour along with the energy required for drying after colouration. Polyester fibres had the lowest impact on the environment with lowest water and energy consumption in dyeing, good dye bath exhaustion, the lowest salinity levels in their effluent, relatively neutral pH effluent and low energy in drying. The wool and nylon had similar dye bath requirements and outputs however the nylon could be dyed at far lower liquor ratios and hence provided better energy and water use figures. The cotton and wool required high energy consumption in drying after colouration. Cotton performed poorly in all of the measured parameters.

The impact of textile wet colouration on the environment in 2011

Wet textile colouration has the highest environmental impact of all textile processing steps. It consumes water, chemicals and energy and produces liquid, heat and gas waste streams. Liquid effluent streams are often quite toxic to the environment. There are a number of different dyeing processes, normally fibre type specific, and each has a different impact on the environment. This research investigated the energy, chemical and water requirements for the exhaust colouration of cotton, wool, polyester and nylon. The research investigated the liquid waste biological oxygen demand, total organic carbon dissolved solids, suspended solids, pH and colour along with the energy required for drying after colouration. Polyester fibres had the lowest impact on the environment with low water and energy consumption in dyeing, good dye bath exhaustion, the lowest dissolved solids levels in waste water, relatively neutral pH effluent and low energy in drying. The wool and nylon had similar dyebath requirements and outputs however the nylon could be dyed at far lower liquor ratios and hence provided better energy and water use figures. Cotton performed badly in all of the measured parameters.

Transport properties of multi-layer fabric based on electrospun nanofiber mats as a breathable barrier textile material

Layered fabric systems with an electrospun nanofiber web layered onto a sandwich of woven fabric were developed toexamine the feasibility of developing breathable barrier textile materials. Some parameters of nanofiber mats, including thetime of electrospinning and the polymer solution concentration, were designed to change and barrier properties ofspecimens were compared. Air permeability, water vapor transmission, and water repellency (Bundesmann and hydrostaticpressure tests) were assessed as indications of comfort and barrier performance of different samples. These performancesof layered nanofiber fabrics were compared with a well-known water repellent breathable multi-layered fabric(Gortex).Multi-layered electrospun nanofiber mats equipped fabric (MENMEF) showed better performance in windproof propertythan Gortex fabric. Also, water vapor permeability of MENMEF was in a range of normal woven sport and work clothing.Comparisons of barrier properties of MENMEF and the currently available PTFE coated materials showed that, thoseproperties could be achieved by layered fabric systems with electrospun nanofiber mats.

Improving knowledge, fibre and textile quality, and communications

This is a technical report summarising activities to improve the knowledge about rare natural animal fibres in Australia, including aspects of their production, fibre quality, and textiles made from these fibres. It summarises results of Australian investment on these subjects, and makes recommendations about future investment. This is important, as there is limited scientific understanding of how to improve productivity, quality and financial returns from these industries in Australia.

Potential of textile hemp in biomedical and composite applications

The fabrication of hemp fine powder was documented for the first time. The antibacterial properties of hemp powders and hemp plant extracts from textile hemp were investigated for the first time. Fabrication and characteristics of hemp powder blended polypropylene polymer composite filaments were investigated for the first time.