A Novel Eco-Friendly Scouring and Bleaching Technique of Flax Rove Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Fluid

Abstract

A novel eco-friendly scouring and bleaching technique for flax rove was developed using supercritical carbon dioxide fluid. Effects of system temperature, pressure, time, and carbon dioxide flow on the scouring and bleaching properties of flax rove were investigated. The results showed that low residual gum content and significant improvements in whiteness of the flax rove were obtained. The residual gum content and the whiteness were affected by the system temperature, pressure, time and fluid flow. An optimized scouring and bleaching procedure for flax rove was found at a temperature of 120°C, a pressure of 28 MPa, a time of 120 min, and a fluid flow of 30 g/min in supercritical carbon dioxide fluid. In addition, surface morphology and breaking strength of processed flax rove were also evaluated and compared to those properties of the original flax rove samples.