By: Edward Menezes

Why bio-auxiliaries are needed?

Modern society expects bio-auxiliary to be the answer for many worldwide problems like depletion of energy sources, incurable illnesses and pollution, among other problems. Industrial use of biotechnology, known as white biotechnology, is bringing about new products and processes aimed at the use of renewable resources, as well as the application of green technologies with low energy consumption and environmentally healthy practices.

Textile processing is a growing industry that traditionally has used a lot of water, energy and harsh chemicals-starting from pesticides for cotton-growing to high amounts of wash waters that result in waste streams causing high environmental burdens.

As textile fibers are polymers, the majority being of natural origin, it is reasonable to expect there would be a lot of opportunities for the application of bio-auxiliary to textile processing.

Enzymes - nature's catalysts and bio-auxiliaries - are the logical tools for development of new biotechnology-based solutions for textile wet processing.

What Indian dyestuff and Textile auxiliary manufacturer need to do?

• To develop environmentally safe product to replace the restricted product
• Develop innovative synthesis route to eliminate unintentional impurities.
• Bring more awareness among textile producers for overall Eco-Toxicological requirements.
• Need to develop in-house capability for the evaluation of restricted Ecological & Toxicological parameters.

Eco-friendliness and eco-regulations

Normally bio-auxiliaries are biodegradable, thereby no chances of increase the pollution load, more user friendly from human body contact, medical and hygienic point of view, reduce effluent generation so effluent treatment cost becomes lesser keeping pollution free discharge to environment.

Use of Sugar polymers:

Problems with inorganic content

Phosphates

• Eutrophicating
• Non dissolvable metal sedimentation
• Poor Stability

EDTA, NTA

• Poor biodegradability
• Remobilising of heavy metals Polyacrylates
• Can only be eliminated
• Non toxic

Silicates

• Silicate incrustation
• Soft handle degrading

The present invention relates to water-soluble, acid-groups-containing graft copolymers which are at least partially biodegradable and are based on sugars and monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic and sulfonic acids as well as optional further monomers.