Production of Cellulase from Talaromyces emersonii and Evaluation of Its Application in Eco-Friendly Functional Finishing of Jute-Based Fabrics

Use of cellulase for biofinishing and biostoning are standard eco-friendly techniques to achieve desirable appearance and softness for fabrics. Thermophilic fungus Talaromyces emersonii was able to produce high level of cellulase in shaken cultures using sugar cane bagasse as substrate. An optimisation of the medium composition in submerged fermentation was carried out using statistical experiment designs aiming at a low cost medium composition for enzyme production. Additionally, the influence of several cultural conditioned was investigated. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the enzyme on biofinishing and biostoning was studied by treating the jute-cotton union fabrics and Hessians with the enzyme preparation. The enzyme enhanced whiteness, brightness and softness of the treated materials. Pilling and fuzziness of the treated samples were remarkably reduced without loss of tensile strength beyond acceptable limits. The cellulase preparation was also applied in biostoning process at a laboratory scale. The enzyme exhibited good biowash effect on coloured jute-based fabrics. The treatment also increased gloss or lustre, improved fabric handle, and increased durable softness. However, the treated fabrics did not show much worn out look due to abrasion resistance of the fabrics.