Low temperature bleaching of cellulose fabric with (N-[4-triethylammoniomethyl]-benzoyl) caprolactam chloride as novel cationic activator for H2O2 bleaching

The bleaching of cotton fabrics with hydrogen peroxide requires high temperature at a high pH value. A large amount of energy is consumed and the aggressive treatment conditions frequently damage the cellulose macromolecular chain. In this paper, novel cationic activator for H2O2 bleaching, (N-[4-triethylammoniomethyl]-benzoyl) caprolactam chloride (TBCC), was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR and 1H NMR. Low temperature bleaching technique and surface morphology of cellulose fabric with TBCC were discussed. The desized and scoured cotton cellulose fabric could be bleached at low temperature 60 °C, using TBCC as active bleaching agent for H2O2. The whiteness index and wettability of the cotton fabric bleached at low temperature were similar with those of the cotton fabric bleached with the traditional high temperature method. Cotton cellulose fabric was not damaged at low temperature bleaching. It has potential application in cleaner production of cellulose materials.