Bleaching process comprising use of phenol oxidizing enzyme, a h

Details Bleaching process comprising use of phenol oxidizing enzyme, a h Bleaching process comprising use of phenol oxidizing enzyme, a h

1997-02-04

1998-05-19

Diamond, Alan

Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification

Bleaching

Chemical

8102, 8107, 510303, 510305, 510306, 510367, 510369, 510392, 510393, 252 891, 435263, D06P 302, C11D 3386

Patent

active

057529809

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a 35 U.S.C. 371 national application of PCT/DK95/00417 filed Oct. 18, 1995 and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 of Danish application 1217/94 filed Oct. 20, 1994, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.


FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a process for providing a bleached look in the colour density of the surface of dyed fabric, especially cellulosic fabric such as denim.


BACKGROUND ART

The most usual method of providing a bleached stone-washed look in denim fabric or jeans is by washing the denim or jeans made from such fabric in the presence of pumice stones to provide the desired localized lightening of the colour of the fabric. This is then followed by a bleaching process where the fabric is treated with sodium hypochlorite at 60.degree. C. and pH 11-12 for up to 20 min., followed by a neutralisation step and a rinsing. Use of hypochlorite is undesirable, both because chlorite itself is undesirable and because the neutralisation subsequently generates high amounts of salts leading to disposal and pollution problems.
Bleaching enzymes such as peroxidases together with hydrogen peroxide or oxidases together with oxygen have also been suggested for bleaching of dyed textiles (see WO 92/18683), either alone or together with a phenol such as p-hydroxycinnamic acid, 2,4-dichlorophenol, p-hydroxybenzene sulphonate, vanillin or p-hydroxybenzoic acid. The disclosed process is not efficient as can be seen from Example 1 of the present invention.
Thus there is still a need for providing a bleached look in dyed fabrics. The problem to be solved is not easy as many VAT-dyes, especially indigo, are not soluble in water and have a very compact structure on the fibre surface, making them difficult for an enzyme to attack.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Surprisingly it has been found that it is possible to create a very efficient process for providing a bleached look in the colour density of the surface of dyed fabric, the process comprising contacting, in an aqueous medium, a dyed fabric with a phenol oxidizing enzyme system and an enhancing agent of the following formula: ##STR2## in which formula A is a group such as --D, --CH.dbd.CH--D, --CH.dbd.CH--CH.dbd.CH--D, --CH=N--D, --N.dbd.N--D, or --N.dbd.CH--D, in which D is selected from the group consisting of --CO--E, --SO.sub.2 --E, --N--XY, and --N.sup.+ --XYZ, in which E may be --H, --OH, --R, or --OR, and X and Y and Z may be identical or different and selected from --H and --R; R being a C.sub.1 -C.sub.16 alkyl, preferably a C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl, which alkyl may be saturated or unsaturated, branched or unbranched and optionally substituted with a carboxy, sulfo or amino group; and B and C may be the same or different and selected from C.sub.m H.sub.2m+1 ; 1.ltoreq.m.ltoreq.5.


DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION



Dyed Fabric

The process of the invention is most beneficially applied to cellulose-containing fabrics, such as cotton, iscose, rayon, ramie, linen, Tencel, or mixtures thereof, or mixtures of any of these fibres, or mixtures of any of these fibres together with synthetic fibres such as mixtures of cotton and spandex (stretch-denim). In particular, the fabric is denim. The process of the invention may also be applied to other natural materials such as silk.
The fabric may be dyed with vat dyes such as indigo, or indigo-related dyes such as thioindigo.
In a most preferred embodiment of the process of the invention, the fabric is indigo-dyed denim, including clothing items manufactured therefrom.


Phenol Oxidizing Enzyme Systems By the term "a phenol oxidizing enzyme
system" is meant a system in which an enzyme, by using hydrogen peroxide or molecular oxygen, is capable of oxidizing organic compounds containing phenolic groups. Examples of such enzymes are peroxidases and oxidases.
If the phenol oxidizing enzyme system requires a source of hydrogen peroxide, the source may be hydrogen peroxide or a hydrogen peroxide precursor for in si

REFERENCES:
patent: 5605832 (1997-02-01), Damhus et al.
Kawai et al, "Oxidation of Methoxylated Benzyl Alcohols by Laccase of Coriolus versicolor in the presence of Syringaldehyde", Wood Research, 76, 1989, pp. 10-15.
Kato, et al., Plant Cell Physiology, vol. 26 (7), 1985 (Month Unknown).
Patent Abstract of Japan, Mar. 20, 1995, Japanese 070765547, Kobayashi, et al.

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