Abstract
The present paper described the studies on removal of fatty acids from cotton fabrics by alkaline builders. Cotton fabrics were soiled with the fatty acid mixture, which contained equal amounts of lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, and oleic acid in benzene solution. Fatty acids adhered to cotton fabrics were determined by GLC method after extraction with ethyl ether. Fatty acids were effectively removed by alkaline builders alone, but addition of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (ABS) did not increased the efficiency of removal.
Removal of fatty acids was compared at two different temperatures, 25°C and 50°C. They were removed much easier at 50°C than at 25°C. This was considered to be due to the difference in the state of fatty acid mixture at the two temperatures, because the melting point of the fatty acid mixture was measured as to be 40.8°C.
Each fatty acid component was removed from cotton fabrics in the order of, C12>C14>C18 : 1>C16≥C18, at 25°C. On the other hand, at 50°C, the order was C12>C14>C16≥C18>C18 : 1. This concluded that a shorter chain fatty acid was removed easier than long chain fatty acids.
