Sustainable colouration concepts Part III. Issues in textile processing of cotton
In the previous article we have discussed an innovative water-free dyeing process for polyester, dyeing from supercritical CO2 (scf-CO2). Today we will look at cotton, which is a major contributor for polluted effluents. Cotton has ethical and ecological concerns, as well as requiring high water & energy consumption in the textile industry.
Cotton is by far the most important natural, renewable fibre, used for textiles. Cotton and cotton blends are almost 40% of the total textile fibre consumption. The second biggest natural fibre is wool, from animal hairs, with only 2% share.
Cotton is not based on depletable raw materials such as crude oil or coal tar, compared to synthetic fibres like polyester or nylon. In the view of a peak oil scenario, this may be an important factor in the future.
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