Non-deteriorative eco-friendly water-saving tactic for removal of vegetable matters from wool fleece using xylanase and cellulase

Abstract

The carbonization of wool fleece (WF) is conducted to remove the adhered vegetable matter (VM) from contaminated WF using sulfuric acid, followed by drying and backing. This process has a deteriorative effect on WF and requires a tremendous quantity of water for rinsing WF after carbonization to remove any H₂SO₄ residuals. Herein, we propose an alternative eco-friendly water-saving process for the removal of VM from WF using enzymes. Cellulase-containing xylanase from the fungus Aspergillus terreus, and cellulase-free xylanase from the fungus Aspergillus flavus AW1 were used to remove the VM from WF. The effect of some process parameters on the amount of the removed VM was assessed. Alkali solubility as well as sulfur and cystine content were used to follow the alteration in the chemistry of the bio-treated WF. The fiber morphology was examined using scanning electron microscopy. The dyeability of the treated WF towards acid, reactive, and basic dyes was monitored. The results revealed that the removal of the VM from WF by applying the examined enzymes was effective and could be an appropriate, non-destructive, eco-friendly water-saving substitute to the conventional carbonization procedures. By virtue of enzyme specificity, the proposed process removed the VM without deteriorating the fiber.

Keywords: Carbonization; Enzyme; Wool.