Effect of cotton pectin content and bioscouring on alkyl-dimethyl-benzyl-ammonium chloride adsorption

Abstract

Previous research has shown that both the rate and the total amount of alkyl-dimethyl-benzyl-ammonium chloride (ADBAC) exhausted from a bulk solution of ADBAC are significantly greater for greige cotton nonwovens than cotton nonwovens that have been both scoured and bleached. The presence of pectin in greige cotton samples was offered as one of the possible explanations for this observed phenomenon. To elucidate the effect of pectin and cotton’s natural waxes on the adsorption of ADBAC on greige cotton nonwovens, low-weight greige nonwovens were bioscoured with a pectate lyase prior to being immersed in aqueous solutions of ADBAC. The eco-friendly scouring process was optimized for greige cotton nonwovens and the optimal process parameters were as follows: pH of 8.5, temperature of 55°C, and an incubation time of 90 minutes. Under these conditions, the amount of pectin removed from the fabrics was equivalent to that removed by traditional scouring and bleaching procedures. Pretreatment of greige cotton nonwovens with pectate lyase was found to significantly reduce the amount of ADBAC exhausted from the bulk solution. Through partial scouring via traditional and pectinase-based methods, the adsorption of ADBAC onto cotton nonwovens was found to be linearly dependent on the amount of pectin present in the fabric. Both waxes and pectin were found to play an important role in ADBAC adsorption; however, the observed effect of pectin was significantly greater than cotton’s natural waxes.