The Effects of Scouring on Mechanical Properties and Appearance of Iyocell -NaOH Scouring vs. Enzymatic Scouring -

This study was to investigate the effect of different scouring methods on mechanical properties and appearance of lyocell. Two different scouring methods were adopted for the study; one was the traditional scouring with alkali and the other was enzymatic scouring. Enzymatic scouring was carried with four different enzymes; C1 : Cellusoft L, C2 : Cellusoft UL, D1 : Denimax 992L, D2 : Denimax Acid XCL. The mechanical properties of scoured lyocell were measured using KES-FB. The appearance of scoured samples was analyzed by 3D CAD SYSTEM of i-Designer. While the untreated fabric showed the best linearity because it is stiff, alkali treated samples showed the worst dimensional stability and distorted easily. Enzyme treated samples, especially C1 treated samples showed the best dimensional stability. In addition, enzyme treated samples showed low bending rigidity compared to the alkali treated samples. It means that the enzyme treated samples are more flexible than alkali treated samples. However, the smoothness of the sample's surface treated by either of methods did not show much difference. From the study, it was suggested that the enzymatic scouring for lyocell could help to gain natural silhouette.