A New Concept in the Reduction of Free Formaldehyde Associated with DMDHEU Easy-Care Finishing of Cotton

Abstract

Upon addition of carbohydrazide to a commercial DMDHEU solution, formalde hyde is arrested in the form of an insoluble condensation product that can be removed by centrifugation or filtration. Cotton finishes obtained from pad baths prepared from a modified commercial DMDHEU resin exhibit a dramatic reduction in free formal dehyde and a greatly increased stability against the kind of hydrolytic cleavage of the N-C bond that normally leads to increased formaldehyde release after laundering of a conventional DMDHEU-treated cotton.