Rapid wet processing of woven cotton fabrics is typically resource intensive involving desizing, scouring and bleaching. Desizing removes the size applied to warp yarns prior to weaving; scouring breaks down pectins and waxes and helps remove other impurities present cotton fibers to improve water absorptivity; bleaching, commonly done with hydrogen peroxide under near-boiling temperature, removes colored impurities on fabrics that may produce an undesirable appearance and hinder dyeing performance.1 Conventional hot preparation processes are environmentally problematic due to resource consumption of water and energy, as well as requiring neutralization that generates substantial levels of electrolytes in effluent. In addition, conventional scouring and bleaching can give rise to undesirable reduction of fiber strength.
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