Study of the influence of ultrasound on enzymatic treatment of cotton fabric

Using ultrasound energy in the reaction chamber during enzymatic treatment of cotton resulted in significant improvement in the performance of the enzyme but it did not compromise the mechanical strength of the cotton fabric. Ultrasound does not appear to damage or inactivate the complex structure of the enzyme molecule. The greatest enhancement of the enzymatic treatment of cotton fabric was provided by the combination of the sonification of the enzyme processing solution with conventional mechanical agitation. The data indicate that the maximum benefit of sonification of the enzyme processing solution occurs at relatively low enzyme concentrations. Using ultrasonic energy during enzymatic treatment of cotton fabric could provide significant savings through reduced processing time, reduced enzyme concentration needed for processing, and better uniformity of enzymatic treatment.