Oxidative total chlorine free photochemical bleaching of cellulosic fabrics

Abstract

Water-insoluble natural colored compounds adsorbed or chemically bound on cellulosic fabrics were bleached effectively by a selective photolysis of the colored compounds using various excimer lasers (KrF, XeCl, XeF), a low-pressure mercury lamp, and a black-light fluorescent lamp in the presence of sodium peroxocarbonate or mixtures of sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide aqueous solutions at room temperature. The efficiency of the photochemical bleaching was found to be comparable to that of the commercial thermal bleaching processes when a XeF excimer laser or a black-light fluorescent lamp were used as light sources.