Cellulase Treatment of Textiles
Dateline: 09/27/99
Although surprising to some, many laboratory innovations have inaugurated distinctive
fashion trends. William Henry Perkin's 1856 synthesis of the dye aniline purple led to
popular demand for mauve-colored apparel. Nylon, a fiber produced by Wallace Hume
Carothers in 1934, found immediate acceptance in May 1940, when it first made its
appearance, and still maintains a strong presence in today's fabrics.
At other times, chemistry fails to establish new vogues, but does improve upon
commodities already enjoying some commercial success. Here, laurels are earned by
manufacturing an equivalent product requiring fewer raw materials or consuming less energy
during production. Such is the case with stonewashed jeans: denim trousers faded and worn,
not by honest toil, but by the artifices of the textile mill. The required bohemian effect
– for those well-heeled enough to afford it – was formerly achieved by tumbling
together pumice stones and garments in big industrial machines. A newly purchased pair of
stonewashed jeans with a pebble in the pocket confirmed its pedigree.
Denim, the fabric of blue jeans, is made from cotton, and cotton is almost wholly
cellulose, a glucose polymer. Rather than physically abrading articles of clothing with
stones, today, through advances in biotechnology, it is possible to controllably digest
the outer surface of cellulose fibers using enzymes, to create a look indistinguishable
from that generated by the traditional stonewashing method. (Complete digestion of the
cellulose, of course, would result in a look indistinguishable from that of the Emperor's
new clothes.) The enzyme treatment is less harsh to clothing and equipment, reaction
conditions may be optimized by adjustment of pH, time, and temperature, and more fabric
can be treated. (Removing stones, a bulky, space-occupying component, allows more room in
the processing machines.)
The enzyme used is cellulase, which is obtained from several species of fungi, although
bacterial cellulase is also available. The beta-(1-4)-glucosidic linkages of cellulose are
randomly hydrolyzed by this enzyme. Cellulases from different biological sources are
capable of additionally hydrolyzing other linkages in cellulose, for example, the
beta-(1-3) and beta-(1-6) bonds.
Cellulase finds other applications besides that of emulating the stonewashing effect.
Its ability to remove the fuzz from the surface of cellulose fibers makes it an important
agent in biopolishing textiles, thereby enhancing their attractiveness to the consumer.
Recommended Web resources for additional information:
A Method for
Testing the Performance of Cellulase Enzymes on Denim Fabrics
Findings of research performed by textile chemist Gianni Maiani.
Biofinishing of Cotton Fabrics
with Cellulases
Project proposal to develop new methodologies. From the European Community Research and
Development Information Service.
Cellulose
Introduction to the chemistry of this extensively used plant material. From the American
Fiber Manufacturers Association.
Cotton: A Natural Approach to
Processing
New techniques in manufacturing cotton clothing. From Catherine Gianaro, University of
Georgia.
Genes
for Jeans: Engineered Enzyme Improves Fabric
Article by Carolyn Krause discusses Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s new strain of
cellulose-degrading bacteria.
Maps Group Enzyme Products
Enzymes, including fungal cellulases, used in treating fabrics and garments.
New Carezyme Renews the
Blues
Article from Novo Nordisk concerning their new cellulase product.
Reaction Intertrade
Manufacturer of enzyme products used in textile manufacturing.
The Impact of Biotechnology on the
Textile Industry
New technologies using biopolymers and enzymes. Reprint of article by Paul F. Hamlyn
originally appearing in Textiles Magazine.
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