A comparison of the influence of catholyte vs phosphate detergent on the mechanical properties of polyamide 6,6 woven fabric

Abstract

The electro-chemical activation of aqueous media is a relatively new technology.  The alkaline part of the activated media (catholyte) has outstanding detergency properties.  Catholyte provides an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional phosphate based detergents.  Little is, however, known about the effect of catholyte on textile fabrics such as polyamide 6,6.  Hence the focus of this paper was to evaluate the effect of catholyte on certain properties of polyamide 6,6.  The results show that laundering with catholyte caused loss of tensile strength, although this loss was not significantly greater than loss caused by detergent.  The fabric became stiffer after laundering with catholyte, although still not as stiff when compared to the same fabric laundered with detergent.  Wrinkle recovery of the polyamide 6,6 fabric improved after laundering with catholyte.  The dimensional change experienced when the polyamide 6,6 fabric was laundered with catholyte was negligible.  Overall, the effect of catholyte on tensile strength, stiffness, wrinkle recovery and dimensional change of the polyamide 6,6 fabric examined in this study was not to the detriment of the fabric.