Supercritical Dyeing

Who said water is the only medium that is used to carry dyes into the fibers. Dyecoo textile systems is introducing another medium that can be used as a dyeing medium and that medium is none other than Carbon dioxide; the gas that is responsible for the global temperature rise.

If we use water as a medium, we need additional water treatment process to collect unabsorbed dyes and prevent pollution. The pollution control regulations make the water treatment process necessary for the dyeing plant before it is released into the environment. This process obviously increased the cost of dyeing of the textile material.  We are living in the world of scarcity and this applies to water also. Water is precious and we cannot afford to waste it.

This is how the process works: Carbon dioxide is heated to around 120⁰ C or 250⁰ F in a high-pressure chamber at 250 bar. Under these conditions, the carbon dioxide will be converted to supercritical state; a state at which the gas converts to expanded liquid that allows the dissolution of dye compounds. Under these conditions, the textile fiber (eg: PET/cotton) expands and allows the medium to go through its pores. The medium leaves the pores of the fiber leaving the dye compounds in the pores. After that the medium is recycled and used again. This process completely eliminates the use of water and it is environmentally safe and effective. 

If the industry starts using this medium for dyeing purpose, may be we can remove some of the global warming ingredient from the atmosphere and also we can save some of our precious water. This makes the industry looks cool and makes the environment feels cool :-). For more details about the process please refer to the company’s website [Dyecoo textile systems].