Development of eco friendly Antibacterial and flame retardant Home textiles

Abstract

An increased worldwide competition in textile has given opportunities to researchers and industries to work towards new challenges in product development. Our country has a strong and proven track record in manufacturing of many textile products, mainly on cotton based textile materials. Home Textiles is such anemerging global sector and Karur, Tamilnadu is such one of the established centres in India, and it occupies an important place in the domestic and international market. In Tamilnadu, Home textile products are manufactured and exported in huge quantities from Karur, Namakkal, Erode and Salem geographical locations. Almost 90% of home textiles items are made mainly from cotton. Hygiene has acquired importance in recent years, consumer looking for solutions to bacterial problem and contamination and unique benefits provided by antibacterial finish. The rapid growth in home textiles and their end uses has generated many opportunities for the application of innovative finishes. Because of the increased competition, the industries have indulged themselves in this trend to compete with other competitors. Plain and terry weave structured cotton towels have become main consumer goods and are used by people globally. These woven textiles are used in places such as kitchens, sports, absorbents, swimming pool, beach, etc. with different moisture absorption requirements. The moisture response of these textile structures primarily depends on the fibre material used namely cotton, linen, etc. These fibres are less resistant to fire and lead to unexpected accidents, thus there is an importance of the flame retardance tendency for home textiles. Hence home textile needs to be antibacterial as well as flame retardant newline