Effect of water pressure on absorbency of hydroentangled <i>greige</i> cotton non-woven fabrics

Abstract

A greige (non-bleached) cotton lint was used to fabricate non-woven fabrics on a Fleissner MiniJet, using different water pressures for the fiber entanglements. The greige cotton and its hydroentangled non-woven fabrics were primarily tested for their hexane extracts (waxes) and water-soluble (sugars) contents using the AATCC TM97 Standard Extraction Test. Tests have shown that a water pressure of 125 Bar or higher almost totally removed the greige cotton’s inherent hydrophobic waxes and water-soluble sugars. This discovery is a significant milestone in the development of greige cotton-based non-wovens because it could change the greige cotton’s native hydrophobic character into a desirable hydrophilic character for many end-uses. In fact, the AATCC Test Method 79-2007 has confirmed that the greige cotton non-wovens fabricated with high water pressure of 125 Bar are absorbent, as indicated by the 1-second time or less it took for the water drop to completely diffuse onto the fabric surface.