Mercerisation

Mercerisation
Mercerisation is a special ‘finishing’ process that enhances (improves) the lustre of cotton fibres, which
are naturally somewhat dull. It also increases the strength of the fibre. The process also gives the cotton
material a greater affinity to moisture, colouring matter, etc.
Mercerisation, named thus after its inventor John Mercer, consists of impregnating cotton material with
caustic soda solution under tension for a specific period of time (45 to 60 seconds). The material is held
under tension as cotton shrinks considerably in the liquor. The caustic soda is washed off the cotton
material while it is still under tension. It is the tension imposed during mercerisation that improves the
fibre lustre. Mercerisation produces a permanent lustre in the cotton fibre.
Microscopic examination of a mercerised cotton fibre shows that the fibre cross-section changes from
the characteristic bean or kidney shape to a nearly circular shape due to mercerisation. The convolutions
in the fibre are removed in this process. Hence the fibre assumes a cylindrical shape. Mercerisation
increases the reactivity and absorbency of cotton fibres for chemicals, dyes, water, etc and improves
fibre strength.
The mercerisation process
Cotton material (mostly fabric, sometimes yarn) is treated with 18 – 22% NaOH solution (55 – 65° Tw)
under tension at room temperature.
Objectives of the process
• To improve the lustre of the fabric.
• To increase the strength of material.
• To give good dye absorbing capacity to the cotton material.
• To increase the hygroscopic property of the fabric.
• To remove creases from the fabric.
Properties of Mercerised Cotton
• Cotton mercerised under tension is more lustrous than non-mercerised cotton.
• Its absorption of dyes, chemicals and moisture is greater.
• The convolutions in cotton are removed upon mercerisation.
• The cross-section of mercerised cotton is nearly circular and the lumen is reduced.
• The longitudinal shape of the mercerised fibre is cylindrical.
• When cotton is mercerised slack (without tension), it shrinks and shows good elastic properties.

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Machines for Mercerisation
Cotton yarn is mercerised in a yarn-mercerising machine. This is batch process in which the yarn is
handled in hank form. Fabrics are mercerised in either a chain mercerisation machine on a chainless
mercerizing machine, both of which involve a continuous mercerisation process. The third option is to
use a chainless-padless continuous mercerising machine.

Yarn Mercerising Machine

The Machine: Mercerisation of grey yarn or bleached yarn can be done using the yarn mercerising
machine, which consists essentially of two rollers; one of them is fixed while the other can be moved
relative to the first. A pointer attached to the moveable roller moves against a graduated scale that
indicates the amount of tension applied to the yarn. A rubber squeezer roller near the fixed roller can be
operated in close contact with the fixed roller, when necessary. The rubber squeezer roller helps to
remove the excess alkali from the yarn.
The yarn in hank form is mounted on the two rollers and the required tension is set. Below the two rollers
can be placed a moveable trough (tray) to collect the spent alkali and wash water. 18 to 22% of sodium
hydroxide, the mercerising liquor, is used from an overhead tank.
A line diagram of the fundamental parts of a yarn mercerising machine is shown below. As strong caustic
soda is used in the process, the parts of the machine are normally made of caustic-soda resistant metal
and the machine is enclosed with sight-windows provided for observing the yarn in process.
Perforated pipe for spraying
alkali/wash water

Rubber Squeezer Roller

Fixed Roller
A batch of hank yarn
Pointer and
scale to set
Movable Roller yarn tension

Tray

The Mercerisation Process: With the yarn mounted evenly on the rollers at the right tension, the machine
is started. This causes the two rollers to rotate and turn the yarn around, while the movable roller moves
away from the fixed roller to apply the set tension in the yarn. The mercerising liquor is then sprayed
over the rotating yarn through a perforated pipe, so that the yarn gets uniformly wetted with the alkali.
This action goes on for a pre-set period of time of two minutes to allow mercerisation to take place.
The Post-mercerisation Process: At the end of the two minutes, when the mercerisation treatment is
over, the tray with alkali is slid away and the alkali collected and sent to the overhead tank. The hot-
water tray then slides in and hot water is sprayed over the hanks; the hot wash removes about 60% of
the alkali held in the hanks and the alkaline wash liquor is taken away for recovery of caustic soda. The
yarn, while still on the rollers, is given a cold wash and soured with dilute hydrochloric acid or sulphuric
acid to neutralise the alkali.
Auxiliary for Grey Yarn: When grey yarn is being mercerised, up to 1% of a mercerising auxiliary (a
powerful wetting agent resistant to strong caustic soda) can be used in the mercerising liquor to help
better penetration of the alkali into the yarn.
Recovery and Recycling of Caustic Soda: The caustic soda collected from the final squeezing of the
mercerised yarn is sent to the overhead tank for re-use. The wash liquor is collected separately and sent
to a caustic soda recovery plant. The recovered solution will be lower in concentration and so fresh
caustic soda is dissolved into it to bring it back to mercerisation concentration. After several rounds of
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re-using the spent and the recovered caustic soda the mercerising liquor will be too thick and
contaminated for further re-use. It is then discarded and fresh liquor is used thereafter.

Mercerisation of Cotton Fabric

The machines used for cloth mercerising are listed below.
1. Chain mercerising machine – here the cloth is first allowed to shrink in the caustic soda solution and
subsequently it is stretched.
2. Chainless mercerising machine – in this case tension is applied to the fabric during alkali impregnation
itself, so the fabric is not allowed to shrink.
3. Pad-less chainless mercerising machine

The Chain Mercerising Machine

This machine is a long range of related units. Basically it consists of the following units.
a) Impregnating unit
b) Stretching and washing unit
c) The recuperator
d) The washing and neutralisation unit
A schematic diagram of the process sequence in this machine is shown on the following page.

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 A Schematic Representation of the Chain Mercerising Process

GREY
FABRIC

1 2 3

3 4 5 6 7 8

1. First alkali impregnation mangle 5. Hot water wash

(alkali concentration = 35-45 Tw; temp 40 C; time 60-75 sec)
6. Souring (with dilute mineral acid)
2. Second alkali impregnation mangle
(alkali concentration = 55-65 Tw; temp 27 C; time 60-75 sec) 7. Cold water wash
3. Stenter (Stretching and washing unit) 8. Mercerised fabric
4. Recuperator (Steam treatment to wash off residual alkali)

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The Impregnation Unit
Here is where the fabric is fully wetted and soaked with the mercerising liquor. It consists of two padding
mangles. The trough of the first padding mangle contains caustic soda of 35-45° Tw strength and at
40°C.
A suitable wetting agent, resistant to the caustic alkali, is included in the impregnation bath and the fabric
speed is slow enough to allow sufficient time for impregnation. The incoming fabric gets wetted (soaked)
with the liquor in the trough. At the mangle the liquor is mechanically squeezed out of and also into the
fabric. When the fabric comes out of the mangle, it passes around guide rollers to reach the 2 nd alkali-
impregnation mangle.
The second padding mangle has alkali solution of 55-65° Tw strength at room temperature. The same
action as in the first mangle is performed here too. The time of reaction between the alkali and the fabric
in each of the mangles may vary from 1 to 1.5 minutes and adjusting the speed of machine can set this.
Stenter – Stretching and Washing Unit
The stenter is a 15 to 25-m long machine consisting of two sets of chains, each of them having a
continuous line of clips to hold the selvedges of the fabric, one set for each selvedge. The clip-chains
can hold the cloth firmly so it passes in a horizontal plane. They can also be set to have any desired
distance between them, so that the caustic-impregnated fabric can be stretched to any chosen width,
while it is continuously running.
Chain I
Clips

Mercerised
, washed
fabric
WATER
Fabric Movement Fabric stretch zone in Fabric counter -
stenter current wash zone
Clips

Chain II
A basic diagram of a stenter unit in a chain mercerising machine (only some clips are shown)
The stenter has two functions.
i) To pull the fabric to its original width, and
ii) To wash it free of alkali by the counter current flow principle.
Stretching: As seen in the above figure, the first part on the stenter ( 10 m) is the stretch zone, where
the fabric is pulled in a weft-way direction to its original width (i.e. the pre-mercerising width). The
remaining part of the stenter is for the washing the cloth.
Washing: Fresh water is sprayed at the delivery end of the fabric, so the water flows towards the feed
end of the stenter washing the fabric. The fabric thus meets a constantly decreasing concentration of
alkali solution as it moves forward. As the fabric and the wash water move in opposite directions, the
washing system is called counter-current washing’. When the fabric leaves the stenter unit the alkali it
contains is of less than 10 Tw strength.
Recuperator
The word ‘recuperate’ means ‘to get back’ or ‘regain’. So the function of a recuperator in a mercerising
machine is to remove and recover any caustic soda present in the fabric. The recuperator uses steam
to do this. It consists of an airtight chamber through which the mercerised fabric from the stenter unit is
passed. Low-pressure steam, introduced into the chamber, impinges on the moving fabric, gets
condensed on it and drips down from it, removing the alkali from it effectively. The wash liquor is collected
and sent to a caustic soda recovery plant.
The fabric coming out of the recuperator is given a hot wash. It is then taken to the ‘souring’ (dilute acid)
treatment with dilute HCl or H2SO4, to neutralise any traces of alkali still left in the fabric, and lastly given
a cold wash to get a pH of 7. Now the fabric is in a neutral state and ready for further process.

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Summary of Mercerising Conditions
NaOH Conc. : 18 to 22% (55o to 65 o Tw)
Time of contact : 60 to 75 seconds
Temp : 40o C in the 1st mangle
27o C in the 2nd mangle
Shrinkage : Controlled by stenter frame by stretching back to original width

Disadvantages of the Chain Mercerising

1. Only certain widths of fabric limited to the stenter width can be used.
2. The stenter unit is very long and occupies a large amount of space.

Chainless Mercerising Machine

This is a modification of the chain mercerising machine. It consists of the following units.
a) Impregnating unit
b) Expanders or stretching rollers
c) Recuperator
d) Neutralising and washing unit
The functions of units (a), (c) and (d) and the conditions of mercerisation are the same as those for the
chain mercerising machine. Only the stretching process (b) is different in this case.
Impregnating Unit
As in the chain mercerising machine, the impregnation unit of the chainless machine consists of two
mang1es where the fabric is impregnated with the mercerising liquor successively. As before, the
absorption of alkali not only depends on the expression of the mangles but also on the kind of fabric
being processed and the degree of saturation of the fabric.
Expanders (Stretching Rollers)
The tension arrangement consists of 12 stretching rollers or expanders, which are curved, so as to keep
the cloth stretched in the weft-way direction. Washing takes place by the counter-current principle. No
washing takes place when the fabric is on the first 6 rollers. The action of the expanders depends upon
the warp-way tension. If the tension is high, the effect of the expanders will be low. This is why one of
the chief characteristics of the chainless mercerising machine is that the width of the fabric is determined
by the warp tension exerted. A device is fitted for measuring the warp-way tension in the fabric and this
is set such that the fabric has the required width.
Recuperator
The construction and principle of the recuperator is the same as that for the chain mercerising machine.
Low-pressure steam impinges on the fabric passing into the recuperator and washes out any residual
alkali from it.
When the fabric leaves the stretching rollers to enter the recuperator it should not have alkali with pH
higher than 9-10. Fresh water is used to wash the fabric as it leaves the recuperator. Further washing
and neutralisation is done in a unit similar to the chain mercerising machine.
Advantages of the Chainless Mercerisation Machine
1) The floor space required is less compared to chain mercerizing.
2) Lightweight fabric can be mercerised easily. (This is difficult in a chain mercerising machine.)
3) There is no difficulty in mercerising cloths of different widths.
4) No distortion of material takes place. So checked fabrics can be processed on this machine without
distortion of the design.
Dr. Neha Mehra
5) Two or three superimposed fabric pieces can be processed simultaneously.
Pad-less Chainless Mercerisation
The pad-less chainless mercerising machine is designed to mercerise fabric under tension, unlike the
above machines in which the shrinkage-stretching principle is used, i.e. the fabric is allowed to shrink
before the stretching it. Secondly it does not require the use of the following units.
1) Impregnating mangles
2) Chain system (stenter)
The fabric enters the machine under tension and it is held under tension and at its original dimensions,
over a series of closely aligned rollers or bowls that take the fabric through the alkali impregnation and
washing operations. As the fabric is in a highly curved state during its passage over and under the bowls,
no shrinkage is allowed to take place.
The machine consists of two rows of strong bowls, a top row and a bottom row, arranged close to each
other and placed alternately above and below each other, as shown in the figure. The fabric runs
alternately around a top bowl and a bottom bowl. The fabric is made to pass under tension over the
surfaces of the top and bottom rollers. This arrangement exerts warp tension.
Before entering the impregnating section, the fabric is taken around a series of rollers and then over
rubber covered expanding rollers. These rollers smooth the material, stretch it weft ways and apply the
initial tension while entering the machine.
Impregnating Section
The fabric is carried through the caustic solution by the first two lower bowls. Simultaneously, two pipes
supply the liquor at the first two top rollers to assist impregnation. The impregnation run is to about 2.5-
3.5 metres. Then the fabric passes around the other rollers for about 5 metres. The caustic impregnated
fabric is further wetted with a caustic liquor spray at the nip of the squeeze rollers, located at the end of
the impregnation bath. The squeezed out fabric is given a further run of about 7 metres around closely
set rollers, to give a total contact period of 40 to 60 sec before the washing operation.
Washing
The fabric is carried forward in the same manner around rollers into the washing compartment in which
it is washed under tension by a spray of hot water from spurt pipes or by the counter–current system.
The fabric is mangled twice in the washing compartment during its run through the wash water.
Recuperator
The recuperator is a unit where the fabric is acted upon by steam, which causes the residual caustic in
the fabric to be removed. The recuperator in this machine consists of a series of five compartments, also
working on the counter–current principle, and the alkali content in the fabric is reduced to a very low
value. In the final compartment fresh water is sprayed into the fabric in the presence of steam.
The pad-less chainless mercerising machine gives an output of 10-25 m/min. The production may be
doubled by running two superimposed fabric pieces or by running the two pieces side by side.

Slack Mercerisation of Cotton Fabric

When cotton fabric is reacted with caustic soda of mercerising concentration, it shrinks considerably.
This is due to fundamentally to the lateral (diametric) swelling by caustic soda of the individual fibres and
the consequent reduction in length or shrinkage.
The other effects are yarn shrinkage and swelling, yarn twist, and fabric structure. Fabric structure is
influenced by the number of threads per inch resisting the shrinkage forces. Textile fabric shrinks from
20 to 45% during mercerisation depending upon the type and construction of the fabric being processed.
If no tension is applied to the fabric during mercerisation the process is called ‘slack’ or ‘tensionless’
mercerisation. In slack mercerisation, the fabric normally shrinks in both directions, warp-way and weft-
way. If the mercerised fabric is squeezed and washed carefully, again without applying tension, the

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resulting fabric shows two-way elasticity, i.e. it is elastic in the warp-way and weft-way directions. Thus
when cotton fabric with elastic properties is required, it is slack mercerised.
Slack mercerisation machine
This machine consists of two main units.
a) The alkali-impregnation unit and
b) The washing range.
Alkali-impregnation Unit
As shown in the figure, this unit is a ‘J-box’ containing 23% caustic soda solution, the liquor completely
filling the curved part of the box. The fabric is introduced into the J-box and allowed to soak for 5 minutes.
An alkali-stable wetting agent is included in the mercerising liquor to assist wetting, especially in the case
of grey fabric. After the five minutes, the fabric is taken out of the J-box and squeezed in a padding
mangle place as close to the J-box as possible to minimise chances of any tension developing in the
fabric. The squeezed fabric then passes on to the washing range.
Washing Range
This range consists of three compartments containing a series of top and bottom rollers to repeatedly
immerse the fabric in the wash liquor. The lower set of rollers of each compartment is run at a slightly
higher speed compared with the top set so as to minimise the development of any tension in the fabric.
There is a padding mangle at the end of each compartment and this is placed very close to the liquor
level in the compartment, to reduce fabric tension.
The fabric is given a hot-water wash (85C) in the first compartment, a neutralising treatment with 5%
acetic acid solution in the second and finally another hot wash in the third; it is then dried.
All-cotton stretch fabrics having many potential markets in household, apparel and industrial uses can
be produced by slack mercerisation.
Maximum fabric shrinkage is obtained when 32% sodium hydroxide solution is used at 25-35o C, but the
results are as good using 23% sodium hydroxide solution at 25o C.

SLACK MERCERISATION OF FABRIC

(Fabric is passed through machine without tension throughout treatment)

WASHING RANGE
Alkali-impregnation unit Hot wash (85 C) Neutralisation of Hot wash (85 C) Slack
is a J-box residual alkali with mercerised
5% acetic acid fabric

Slack-mercerised and stretch-mercerised fabrics – A comparison

a) Slack-mercerised fabric has more shrinkage, higher elongation-at-break and more recoverable
stretch in the weft direction than in the warp direction.
b) The stress required to stretch the slack mercerised fabric is, on average, 10% in the warp direction
and 20% in the weft direction.
c) There is no pronounced change in the tensile strength or tearing strength of the slack mercerised
fabric as compared with stretch-mercerised control fabric.
Dr. Neha Mehra
d) The flex abrasion resistance of slack-mercerised fabric is considerably greater.
The slack mercerised fabric also generally shows higher crease recovery angles, increased weight and
increased warp and weft counts.

Dr. Neha Mehra