SINGAPORE — October 7, 2014 — Huntsman Textile Effects has introduced an innovative fluorescent whitening agent to help textile mills achieve very high and brilliant white shades on cellulosic fibers. The new UVITEX® BHA LIQ. high-affinity stilbene whitener has unequalled acid stability and acid fastness, making it a unique complement to most finishing treatments, with no risk of greening-off and superior protection against phenolic yellowing during storage and shipment.
UVITEX BHA LIQ. has been designed to help mills meet brands’ high white standards for towels, knitted apparel, T-shirts, underwear and other articles made from cellulosic fabrics.
Achieving the necessary whitening on these fabrics is particularly challenging when finishing effects, such as softening, bio-polishing and resin finishing, are required. Finishing processes are typically applied in the acid phase of the wet processing cycle, with a detrimental effect on most high-affinity stilbene brighteners. Rather than producing a bright white, this can cause fibers to take on a green tinge after neutralization or acid pH setting.
Furthermore, insufficient neutralization due to limited acid fastness can result in alkaline residues on the textile. This increases the risk of post-production phenolic yellowing of the fabric, which can have a negative impact on the mill’s finances and reputation if it results in fabric or finished products being rejected.
Huntsman Textile Effects’ new UVITEX BHA LIQ. overcomes these challenges with high acid stability of between pH 4 and pH 5 and acid fastness down to pH 4. It offers a neutral to slightly bluish white shade with excellent wash fastness and build-up. Greening-off is eliminated and the risk of phenolic yellowing is minimized. This new whitening agent can be applied by exhaust processes and is suitable for discontinuous bleaching systems with hydrogen peroxide and for reductive bleaching. It offers very high bath exhaustion and low wastewater pollution. Easy to handle, it can be used with automatic dispensing equipment.
UVITEX BHA LIQ. sets a new benchmark for high-affinity disulfonated stilbene derivates, of which the Huntsman Textile Effects’ UVITEX range is the global market leader. UVITEX is the leading textile whitener for all substrates and application processes, offering a complete range of neutral and shaded whiteners and the ability to create local shaded versions and tailor-made white. Like the other UVITEX products, UVITEX BHA LIQ. is included on the Huntsman Positive List for ZDHC and can thus be used to produce textiles for companies that have signed the Towards Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Joint Roadmap.
“UVITEX BHA LIQ. represents a unique solution to the challenges of producing consistent and stable very high and brilliant white cellulosic fibers. Huntsman Textile Effects continues to listen to mills and to create innovate ways for them to improve their products and production efficiency, operate more sustainably and satisfy the demands of the world’s best brands and retailers,” said Lee Howarth, Global Marketing Manager of Huntsman Textile Effects.
Posted October 7, 2014
Source: Huntsman Special Effects
