Recycling of warp size materials and comparison of yarn mechanical properties sized with recycled materials and virgin materials

Warp sizing is an established method for improving the weaveability of textile yarns by coating orimpregnating warp yarns with a polymer that improves the efficiency of the weaving operation. Despiteits high cost, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) normally shows better adhesion to fibers than other sizing agents likestarch which makes it an essential constituent of size liquor recipe. However PVA desized effluent is a majorchemical oxygen demand contributor to a textile plant’s primary oxygenation treatment of water operationand being biologically inert and presents a major threat to the environment. Therefore, the recovery andrecycling of PVA will not only be cost-effective but will also be eco-friendly. The aim of this research workis to recycle the warp size materials and to study the comparison of yarn mechanical properties sized withrecycled materials to the properties of yarn sized with conventional sizing. Ultrafiltration reverse osmosistechnology is used for the recovery and recycling of PVA size material. For this purpose, Ne 16/1 and Ne21/1 carded 100% cotton yarns were used and sized with both conventional sizing recipe and by 50%recycled PVA together with 50% fresh sizing recipe. It was found that yarn sized through recycled PVA sizingrecipe has almost the same (slightly lower) mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elongation andabrasion resistance as compared to yarn sized through conventional sizing recipe.