© Alcon Advies 2013

New technologies for

energy conservation in the textile industry

Anton Luiken

Alcon Advies BV

Wierden

The Netherlands

anton.luiken@alconadvies.nl

© Alcon Advies 2013

Energy use in the textile industry

• Textile processing is using much energy for

– Heating process water

– Drying textiles

– Drives of machines

– Climatizing rooms

• Energy reduction is a must to

– Reduce costs

– Better process control

– Improve the quality of the end-products

• Focus on reduction of energy use

– Good housekeeping measures

– New technologies

© Alcon Advies 2013

Energy conservation

• Inventory of processes and their energy use – monitoring

• Reduce losses by good housekeeping measures

– For example

• Reduce the amount of water in washing processes

• Reduce temperatures and amount of air in stenters

• Install energy conservation measures

– Heat exchangers

– Improve mechanical drying ( eg suction slots)

• New energy friendly proceses

– Low temperature

– Low water or dry processes

– Improved process control

© Alcon Advies 2013

Energy use – monitoring

• Monitoring is essential

- To see how the processes are performing

- How much energy you use for processing

- To calculate your standard energy use per unit of product

- To see deviations from the normal energy use – alert

- To be able to calculate the benefits of process changes,

investments, …

- More on this subject later this day.

© Alcon Advies 2013

New energy friendly processes

• Use of enzymes for scouring and bleaching in

pretreatment of cotton

• Plasma technology

• Ink-jet printing

• IR-drying

• Hot melt technology

• SC-CO2 technology

• UV-EB technology

© Alcon Advies 2013

Enzymes for scouring and bleaching

• Enzymes work at reduced temperatures under mild conditions

– 40-80 °C; pH 5-9

• Enzymes used long time for desizing and softening (bio-polish)

• Now also available for scouring and bleaching

http://primagreen.dupont.com/product-solutions/for-textile-mills/

© Alcon Advies 2013

Plasma technology

• Dry process for surface oxydation and surface

modification

– Removal of spinfinish (polyester)

– Soil release / hydrophobic finish

– Hydrophilic surface finish

– Adhesion promotor (for coatings and laminates)

• Reduction on chemicals: > 90%

• Reduction on energy: > 90%

• No drying or curing process needed

SDBD-plasma TNO (NL)

© Alcon Advies 2013

Inkjet printing

• Digital and minimum application

technology

• Reduced use of chemicals (dyes)

• No waste, no left-overs

• No cleaning of screens and printing blanket

– Huge saving of water

• Very efficient in printing

– No time loss due to design / color changes

– Options for mass customisation

• Energy reduction potential: > 75%

(including fixation)

• Water reduction in printing: > 50%

(including washing of unfixed dyes)

© Alcon Advies 2013

Gas fired IR drying

• Optimizing drying in the textile industry

– Fast reaction time on power change request

– Even heat distribution

– Controlled and adjustable energy output (wide range of control)

– For the process increased production speeds

– Improved efficiency/lower operating cost

– Width adjustable to the fabric

• Combination with stenter increases flexibility in production and the

drying capacity of the stenter

• Savings potential: 25% on drying energy

• More info: in workshop in afternoon

© Alcon Advies 2013

Hot melt technology

• Use of hotmelts in coating and laminating

• No evaporation of water or thermal curing

• Energy reduction potential > 70%

• Large range of products available

– Different melting temperature

• Melt is applied; immediate adhesion after cooling

– Reactive hotmelts (self curing)

• Coating with slot-die coater (kind of extruder)

Photo: Centexbel (B)

© Alcon Advies 2013

SC CO2-dyeing

• Water-free dyeing of Polyester

• Super critical CO2 as a carrier for dyes

• At the moment limited to the dying of polyester

and disperse dyes

• High quality end-product

• Reduction of dying time

• No afterwash (and drying needed)

• Is succesfull introduced in the market of

sportswear

• Energy saving potential > 90%

• More details in the afternoon workshop by

Dyecoo

© Alcon Advies 2013

UV-EB technology

• Curing of chemicals (coatings, finishes) needs high

temperatures at prolonged times

• By special chemistry curing times can be extremely

reduced

• By UV-technology curing is done in milli-seconds

• Used in textile industry especially for (clear) coatings and

in combination with ink-jet printing

• Energy saving potential > 80%

© Alcon Advies 2013

Conclusion

• Many new energy saving technologies are available or

will become available in a few years

• New technologies will help to

– Increase product quality

– Increase production flexibility

– Give options for mass customization

– Reduce environmental impact of textile processing