ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Application of electrochemistry technology to effectively inhibit dye pollution and unfixed dye transfer in a washing microenvironment

Xu Zhao, Chaoyu Zhang, Zehua Ren, Bingxin Wang, Qingbo Yang, Lihui An, and Jianli Liu

School of Textile Science and Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China

E-mail: jian-li.liu@hotmail.com

Received: 24 July 2022  Accepted: 21 November 2022

Abstract:

In the washing microenvironment, the shedding of reactive dyes from cotton fabrics dyed in highly saturated color (CFSCs) causes pollution of the water environment and the staining of light-colored fabrics (LCFs) washed together, which have gradually attracted the attention of researchers in the washing machine industry and environmental field. Therefore, inspired by the application of electrochemical technology in dyeing wastewater of the textile dyeing and finishing industry, electrochemical technology was successfully applied to a washing machine to degrade reactive dyes shed from fabric, thus effectively controlling potential environmental pollution problems. First, electrochemical equipment for the washing machine was built with Ti/IrO₂ as the anode and stainless steel as the cathode. Second, in the simulated washing-electrochemical degradation experiment, the electrochemical degradation parameters were selected by analyzing a single factor. The experiments show that the voltage (X₁), electrolyte concentration (X₂), and initial shed dye concentration (X₃) had significant effects on the degradation of shed dyes from CFSCs and staining of LCF in the simulated washing system. The Box‒Behnken experimental design method was used to optimize the electrochemical degradation parameters corresponding to the simulated washing-electrochemical degradation experiment. Finally, the electrochemical equipment was installed in a real washing machine, and the washing experiment verified that the electrochemical technology could effectively inhibit the water pollution and staining problems of LCFs caused by dye desorption in the washing microenvironment, which provides technical support for the research and development of new washing machines.

Keywords: Electrochemistry; Washing microenvironment; Reactive dyes; Washing wastewater; Dye degradation; Staining

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-022-02597-z

Chemical Papers 77 (4) 1951–1970 (2023)