Enzymatic Treatments of Flax Fabric

Abstract

High consumption of flax worldwide has prompted research into the ultimate goal of re establishing a flax/linen industry. Flax fabric is conventionally treated with caustic soda to remove about 10 to 16% noncellulosic gummy material in order to make it commer cially acceptable and more easily processed. Enzymatic treatments are gaining popularity because of their beneficial effects on the environment. In this study, to remove noncel lulosic gummy materials from flax, gray flax fabrics are treated with the enzyme BGLU, which has hemicellulase and pectinase activities. It is applied at various concentrations and conditions, which are then optimized. Enzyme treatments have a significant effect on the physicomechanical properties of flax, and they are analyzed and compared with a conventionally processed sample. The pretreatment process with enzyme is studied in terms of the various constituents in the gummy material. The chemical changes are investigated with infrared spectroscopy and thermal analysis in terms of dyeability. Subjective means of evaluation are also used to study surface features by image analysis.