Single-bath preparation of cellulosic materials

Abstract

The present invention provides methods for single-bath desizing, scouring and bleaching of cellulosic materials, which are carried out by contacting the cellulosic simultaneously or sequentially with an enzyme system and a peracid bleaching system under conditions that do not require emptying the bath or rinsing the cellulosic materials between desizing, scouring and bleaching steps.

1 . A method for treating cellulosic material, comprising contacting the cellulosic material with (i) an enzyme system for desizing and/or bioscouring the cellulosic material and (ii) a bleaching system comprising at least one peracid bleaching compound, wherein the enzyme system and the bleaching system are added simultaneously or sequentially to a single solution containing the cellulosic material.  
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enzyme system and the bleaching system are added simultaneously to the solution containing the cellulosic material.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enzyme system and the bleaching system are added sequentially to the solution containing the cellulosic material, comprising (i) adding the enzyme system and incubating, and subsequently (ii) adding the bleaching system and incubating.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cellulosic material is contacted with the enzyme system and the bleaching system to produce a fabric with a wettability of 20 seconds or less and whiteness of at least 50 Ganz units.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cellulosic material is (i) contacted with the enzyme system to produce a fabric with wettability of 20 seconds or less, after which (ii) the bleaching system is added to the solution containing the cellulosic material.  
     
     
         6 . The method of claims  3 , further comprising between said (i) and said (ii), adjusting a property of the solution selected from the group consisting of pH, ionic strength, temperature, concentration of surfactant, concentration of divalent cationic chelator, and combinations of any of the foregoing.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enzyme system comprises at least one enzyme for desizing the cellulosic material and at least one enzyme for bioscouring the cellulosic material  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enzyme system is a bioscouring enzyme system.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enzyme system is a desizing enzyme system.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the desizing enzyme system comprises at least one desizing enzyme selected from the group consisting of an alpha-amylase and a beta-amylase, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the bioscouring enzyme system comprises at least one bioscouring enzyme selected from the group consisting of pectinase, protease, lipase, and combinations of any of the foregoing.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the bioscouring enzyme system comprises at least one bioscouring enzyme selected from the group consisting of pectate lyase, pectin lyase, polygalacturonase, exo-polygalacturonase, exo-polygalacturonate lyase and exo-poly-alpha-galacturonosidase.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the bioscouring enzyme system comprises a pectate lyase.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the bioscouring enzyme system comprises a protease selected from the group consisting of aminopeptidases, serine endopeptidases, cysteine endopeptidases, aspartyl endopeptidases, and metalloendopeptidases.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the bioscouring enzyme system comprises a lipase selected from the group consisting of triacylglycerol lipases and phospholipases.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the bioscouring enzyme system comprises a pectate lyase that exhibits maximal pectate lyase enzymatic activity at a temperature above about 70° C.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the bioscouring enzyme system comprises a pectate lyase that exhibits maximal pectate lyase enzymatic activity at a pH above about 8.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cellulosic material comprises a textile.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cellulosic material comprises cotton.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said single solution further comprises one or more buffers, surfactants, chelating agents, and/or lubricants, or salts of any of the foregoing.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one peracid bleaching compound is an organic peroxyacid compound.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one peracid bleaching compound is peracetic acid.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one peracid bleaching compound is selected from the following classes of organic peroxyacid substances: 
 performic acid and carboxylic aliphatic peroxyacids; diperoxycarboxylic acids; aromatic peroxyacids; organic peroxyacid substituted by one or more halogen atoms or by any other organic functional group.    
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the contacting of the cellulosic material with the at least one peracid bleaching compound is performed with at least one bleach stabilizer.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the bleach stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), methyl-glycinediacetic acid (MGDA), .beta.-alaninediacetic acid (ADA), ethylenediamine-N,N′-disuccinate (EDDS), ethylenediaminetetramethylenephosphonate, diethylenetriaminepentamethylenephosphonate (DTMPA) or hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the contacting of the cellulosic material with the at least one peracid bleaching compound is performed with at least one alkaline agent.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the alkaline agent is sodium hydroxide.  
     
     
         28 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the contacting of the cellulosic material with the at least one peracid bleaching compound is performed with at least one bleach stabilizer and at least one alkaline agent.  
     
     
         29 . A method for treating a cellulosic material, said method comprising contacting the cellulosic material with (a) at least one bioscouring enzyme and (b) at least one peracid bleaching compound in a single-bath solution comprising the cellulosic material.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the at least one bioscouring enzyme and the at least one peracid bleaching compound are added simultaneously to the single-bath solution comprising the cellulosic material.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the at least one bioscouring enzyme and the at least one peracid bleaching compound are added sequentially to the single-bath solution comprising the cellulosic material, said sequential process comprising (i) adding the at least one bioscouring enzyme to the solution comprising the cellulosic material and incubating the cellulosic material and the bioscouring enzyme, followed by (ii) adding the at least one peracid bleaching compound to the solution comprising the cellulosic material and the bioscouring enzyme and incubating.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising contacting the cellulosic material with at least one desizing enzyme.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the desizing enzyme is added to the single-bath solution.  
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the desizing enzyme is added to the single-bath solution prior to the addition of the bioscouring enzyme.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the desizing enzyme is added to the single-bath solution simultaneously with the bioscouring enzyme.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the desizing enzyme is added to the single-bath solution simultaneously with the bioscouring enzyme and the peracid bleaching compound.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the contacting of the cellulosic material with the at least one desizing enzyme is performed in a separate bath then the single-bath solution used for contacting cellulosic material with the at least one bioscouring enzyme and the at least one peracid bleaching compound.  
     
     
         36 . A method for treating a cellulosic material, said method comprising contacting the cellulosic material with (a) at least one bioscouring enzyme, (b) at least one desizing enzyme and (c) at least one peracid bleaching compound in a single-bath solution.  
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the at least one bioscouring enzyme, the at least on desizing enzyme, and the at least one peracid bleaching compound are added simultaneously to the single-bath solution comprising the cellulosic material.  
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the method comprises adding at least one bioscouring enzyme and the at least one desizing enzyme to the single-bath solution comprising the cellulosic material, incubating the at least one bioscouring enzyme, the at least one desizing enzyme and the cellulosic material, followed by adding at least one peracid bleaching compound and incubating.  
     
     
         39 . A method for treating a cellulosic material, said method comprising contacting the cellulosic material with (a) at least one desizing enzyme and (b) at least one peracid bleaching compound in a single-bath solution comprising the cellulosic material.  
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the at least one desizing enzyme and the at least one peracid bleaching compound are added simultaneously to the single-bath solution comprising the cellulosic material.  
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the at least one desizing enzyme and the at least one peracid bleaching compound are added sequentially to the single-bath solution comprising the cellulosic material, said sequential process comprising (i) adding the at least one desizing enzyme to the solution comprising the cellulosic material and incubating the cellulosic material and the desizing enzyme, followed by (ii) adding the at least one peracid bleaching compound to the solution comprising the cellulosic material and the desizing enzyme and incubating.  
     
     
         42 . A fabric produced by a process according to any one of claims  1 - 41