In the diploma thesis, the effectiveness of a reusable dye catcher was determined in successive household washes at a low washing temperature of T = 40°C using detergent for coloured laundry and compared with a disposable dye catcher sheet. The adsorption efficiency of the reusable and disposable dye catchers was determined using the model reactive dye Avitera Red SE. Successive washes were carried out in a domestic washing machine with a solution of the model dye at predetermined concentrations, based on simulations of 100 %, 25 % and 10 % drum loads with a dyed cotton fabric at 3 % dye concentration. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to determine the morphological and chemical properties of the reusable dye catcher. The dye deposition and the corresponding efficiency of the dye catcher were measured on white fabrics samples made of 100 % cotton (CO), polyester (PES) and a polyamide-elastane (PA+El) knit blend by spectrophotometric measurement of CIE L*a*b* coordinates, from which the colour difference, 〖⠆E〗_ab^* , was determined, and compared to samples washed without a dye catcher and samples washed with a single-use dye catcher. The results of the morphological and chemical analysis of the reusable dye catcher confirmed the 100 % cotton raw material composition stated by the manufacturer, which was probably modified with agents that increase dye adsorption based on cationic polymers. The effectiveness of the reusable dye catcher increased as the concentration of leached dye in the wash bath decreased. It was most effective on the CO sample and least effective on the PA+EL sample, probably due to the looser knit structure. The dye catcher had no significant effect on the PES sample. It was also found that the effectiveness of the reusable dye catcher decreased with repeated use, but was still better than the disposable dye catcher sheet.
|