ISBN-13: 978 1 85573 610 8
August 2003
240 pages 234 x 156mm hardback
Edited by A Cavaco-Paulo, University of Minho, Portugal and G Gubitz,
Graz University of Technology, Austria
Woodhead Textiles Series No. 29
With the increasingly important requirement for textile manufacturers to
reduce pollution in textile production, the use of enzymes in the chemical
processing of fibres and textiles is rapidly gaining wider recognition because
of their non-toxic and eco-friendly characteristics. They can be safely used in
a wide selection of textile processes such as de-sizing, scouring, bleaching,
dyeing and finishing, where the alternatives are very harsh chemicals whose
disposal into the environment causes many problems.
Textile
processing with enzymes aims to provide the textile technologist with an
understanding of enzymes and their use with textile materials and in process
engineering. It covers all the relevant aspects of textile processing with
enzymes, from the chemical constitution and properties of textile materials as
potential substrates for enzymes, to the processing of these materials; from
basic biochemistry and enzymology to the industrial application of these
biocatalysts.
The introductory chapter contains an historic overview of
the subject, followed by an overview of the fundamental aspects of enzymes
determining catalytic properties. There is also a review of non-fibrous
materials as substrates for enzymes. Chapter four covers catalysis and
processing; providing an analysis of the function and application of enzymes
used in textile processing. The fifth chapter offers important insights in
process engineering and describes major problems of industrial applications of
enzymes in textiles. Chapter six discusses practical aspects of handling with
enzymes. Enzyme stabilities, operational and storage stabilities are discussed
in detail along with health and safety issues. The final chapter deals with the
potential of enzymes in textile effluent treatment.
It will be a
valuable resource for anyone interested in the use of enzymes in textiles
including textile students, scientists and engineers with a background in
textiles, biotechnology, chemistry and process engineering.
Published in
association with The Textile Institute