TEXTILCOLOR
New products
Lavan NH:Scouring agent

Lavan NH is a solvent containing scouring and emulsifying agent, based on fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers with readily biodegradable solvents. Due to its good solving power and the distinct emulsifying capacity of Lavan NH towards oils, fats and other preparations even materials which are difficult to purify, become clean. The oils and fats are prevented from redepositing onto the material. Lavan NH washes and emulsifies already at low temperature ranges and thus is very suitable for susceptible fabrics and fibres as, for example, wool.

Sevophob FTU: Oleophobing/hydrophobing Agent

Sevophob FTU is a special, weak cationic finishing agent for water, oil and soil repellent effects. Sevophob FTU is mainly applied by the padding method and can be used with all common fibres and their mixtures. With Sevophob FTU very good and permanent water and oil repellent effects are achievable from curing temperatures of 140 °C on.

Depending on the kind of article and on the equipment this allows more gentle temperatures or shorter curing times. With an addition of approx. 10% Sevophob-Aktivator BLT in relation to the Sevophob FTU amount, the curing temperature can be reduced to approx. 120 - 130 °C but even so very good hydrophobic/oleophobic effects with outstanding permanence are achieved.

Sevofix CR spezial: Aftertreating agent

Sevofix CR spezial is a lowformaldehyde aftertreating agent with a catalyst containing reactant resin. The product combines the effects of a cationic aftertreating agent to improve the wet and wash fastness of direct and reactive dyeings on cellulose fibres with those of the improvement of dimensional stability and the crease recovery angle. Sevofix CR spezial can be applied directly without additional catalysts. The content of free formaldehyde is very low. The textiles may, therefore, be classified as low formaldehyde finished. Sevofix CR spezial reduces the fibre swelling. The product is foam free and is applied by the padding method.

NOVOZYMES
Denim Treatment

Some 1.8 billion pairs of jeans are sold each year. They usually receive some kind of wash treatment with either amylases or celluloses or both. Novozymes has been a pioneer in the treatment of denim with enzymes.

The denim industry is driven by fashion trends. The various cellulases available for modifying the surface of denim give fashion designers a number of possibilities to create new shades and finishes. For example, it is now possible to fade denim to a greater degree without running the risk of damaging the garment.

The combination of new looks, lower costs, shorter treatment times and less solid waste has made abrasion with enzymes the most widely used fading process today. Incidentally, as the denim fabric is always sized, the complete process also includes desizing of the denim garment.

Novozymes has introduced a number of amylases for the desizing process, a new one-step process with DeniPrime allowing these two steps to be performed simultaneously.

Most people who buy jeans don't want them to look like new. Therefore, most denim jeans or other denim garments are subjected to a wash treatment to give them a slightly worn look. In the traditional stonewashing process, the blue denim is faded by the abrasive action of lightweight pumice stones on the garment surface. This removes some of the dye. However, too much abrasion can damage the fabric, particularly hems and waist-bands. In contrast, enzymes age the clothes gently.

Denim finishers use enzymes to accelerate the abrasion by loosening the indigo dye on the denim. Where as DeniMax partly hydrolyzes the surface of the fibre, the indigo is partly removed & light areas are created.

As a small dose of enzyme can replace several kilograms of stones, the use of fewer stones results in less damage to garments, less wear on machines and less pumice dust in the working environment. Laundry machines containing fewer stones also have room for more garments. With a stone-free process, the need for the removal of dust and small stones from the finished garment is eliminated. There is also no sediment in the wastewater, which can otherwise clog up drains.

There are a number of cellulases available in DeniMax range, each with its own special properties. These can be used either alone or in combination in order to obtain a specific look. Enzymes have opened up new possibilities in denim finishing by increasing the variety of finishes available. The latest example from Novozymes is an improved laccase called DeniLite II launched in 1999 for denim decolorization. The original DeniLite was launched in 1996 and was the first ever commercial laccase.
Courtesy: Novozymes website