7/23/10

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Schedule & Abstracts

2010 STRC Presentation Schedule & Abstracts

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2010

3:00 – 7:00 PM Registration & Check-In

7:00 PM Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2010

Morning Session

7:30 AM Welcome

7:45 AM Anti-Flammable Thin Film Assemblies on Cotton Fabric

Speaker: Jaime Grunlan
Texas A&M University

Cotton fabric was treated with flame-retardant coatings composed of branched polyethylenimine (PEI) and montmorillonite (MMT) clay platelets, prepared via layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. Four coatings were created with solutions of BPEI (pH 7 or 10) and MMT (0.2 or 1 wt%). The thickness and composition of the coatings were studied by ellipsometry and quartz crystal microbalance. PEI at pH 10 produces the thickest films. Each coating recipe was evaluated at several numbers of bilayers. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that coated fabrics left 13% char after heating at 500°C, over an order of magnitude more char than from uncoated fabric, with less than 4% coming from the coating itself. This protective coating reduced afterglow time by 9 sec in vertical flame tests. Post-burn chars of coated fabrics were examined by scanning electron microscopy, revealing that weave structure and fiber shape in all coated fabrics were preserved through burning. This work is the first of its kind to use layer-by-layer assembly to generate flame retardant coatings on a complex substrate like cotton fabric. The LbL process offers a unique platform from which to incorporate a variety of nanoparticles and polymers at the surface of flammable materials such as cotton, which may lead to even greater flame suppression in the future. This is very important for upholstered furniture, clothing, and bedding, whose flammability contributes to significant loss of life and property damage every year.
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9:15 – 9:30 AM Break

9:30 AM Microwave Finishing of Textile Materials

Speaker: Sandra Bischof Vukušic
University of Zagreb

In the electromagnetic radiation spectrum, microwaves (300 MHz–300 GHz) lie between radio wave (RF) and infrared (IR) frequencies, with relatively large wavelength (1 m-1 mm). Microwave (MW) heating has been proved to be rapid, uniform, and efficient, and easily penetrates to particle inside. Until now, microwave irradiation for textile finishing has been used for various purposes, such as: the combined de-sizing, scouring, and bleaching processes, dyeing, printing and drying processes, as well as for eradication of insects from wool textiles. Three different electromagnetic devices have been developed and applied in the textile industry. In this paper, emphisis is on the waveguide applicator model. The authors hold two patents, for the Laboratory planar microwave device and the Modular microwave device, for the treatment of textile materials. Both MW devices were constructed, tested, and patented for thermal treatment of cellulose material (textile and wood). Applied traveling wave applicator includes meander waveguide with central slots through which is material horizontally passed in a wide state. To investigate the effect of microwave irradiation on the physical properties and morphological structure of cotton cellulose, cellulose fabric was treated with microwave irradiation at different conditions. Effects of microwave treatment were compared with a conventional drying and curing method. Improvement of physical and mechanical properties obtained with MW technology offer the possibility of using the proposed model for drying and curing of textiles, as well as for chemical wood modification. The key advantages of the microwave energy application usage, for future development, will be presented.

11:00 – 11:15 AM Break

11:15 AM The Road to Move Past PR Driven Sustainability

Speaker: Henry A. Boyter Jr., PhD
Council for Economically Sustainable Textile and Apparel Businesses (CESTAB)

Textile, apparel, and retail companies looking to become more sustainable need to evaluate the goals, methods, and techniques that will be implemented throughout the supply chain of the products produced. One of the biggest hurdles in this effort is leadership for the textile industry in addressing sustainability issues in a scientific and consistent manner. There are many groups all working on separate views of what it means to be sustainable. Some are strictly based on the minimum effort needed to meet the regulations in different countries while others are based on the input of materials into the product at different stages. Newer groups are attempting to combine all the components of the Triple Bottom Line of Social, Economical, and Environmental efforts including Cradle-to-Cradle supply chains. The current state of the industry is chiefly catering to consumer demands and their maximum price threshold of sustainable products. Concerns with such efforts include higher costs, lower productivity, and international competitiveness.

The next steps needed are to create validated information, analyses, and resources to promote sustainable practices within the entire global textile supply chain and to provide resources to textile supply chain participants, creating a more uniform approach for addressing sustainability issues; generate objective and verifiable scientific research addressing gaps in the textile sustainability knowledge base; and provide and promote education at the undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education levels for textile supply chain participants as well as the public.

Future efforts of CESTAB and North Carolinba State University will move beyond the stages of just a PR or regulatory level of examination. These will include 1) creation of a sustainability metric system that is an encompassing umbrella that all companies can use to evaluate their supply chain, 2) creation of Alternative Substance Lists (ASL) and associated Chemical and Product Technical Reports so that companies can know what to use as well as what no to use, 3) evaluate current corporate sustainability systems to see what can work for different companies in the supply chain, 4) conduct research in textile, apparel, and retail sustainability to examine the unique knowledge needed for this global supply chain, and 5) develop products that are designed to be sustainable in all aspects of the triple bottom line.


12:45 PM Lunch

Afternoon: Social Activities /Personal Time

7:00 PM Cocktails
8:00 PM Dinner

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2010

Morning Session

7:30 AM Welcome
Election of Officers
Amendments to By-Laws


7:45 AM Tagging Systems for Identifying Counterfeited Products in the Textile                 Industry

Speaker: Renzo Shamey
North Carolina State University

In today's rapidly changing market, and due to increasing demands to authenticate substrates and protect production methods, it may be necessary to employ overt or covert tagging measures to protect the authenticity of brands and textile products. Authentication of products can protect the manufacturer and improve revenue, ensure quality, and increase consumer confidence. Such measures, however, need to be practical, cost effective, and capable of resisting the production conditions during various processes and have the required durability during use. 
   
This paper reviews some of the current covert tagging techniques and provides a brief overview of a method developed jointly at North Carolina State University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 


9:15 – 9:30 AM Break

9:30 AM An Overview of Cationic Treatments for Cotton: Dye Selection,                 Processes, and Sustainability

Speaker: Leonard Farias
Cotton Incorporated

A number of approaches have been used in recent years to reduce the water, energy, and chemical (WEC) footprint of wet processes for cotton. These methods have included high fixation reactive dyestuffs, low salt dyes, equipment modifications and design changes, more environmentally acceptable chemistries, and new processing equipment, as well as a number of other options to process cotton in a more sustainable way.

One specific approach has been to apply cationic treatments to cotton fiber, yarn, or fabrics. This technology enhances dye uptake thereby reducing the amount of color in the waste stream. Cationic treatments provide multiple options for dye selection that are not normally used to impart color to cotton. Processes may be streamlined to be more efficient, reducing cycle time as well as water and energy consumption. An overview will be presented related to dye selection, application procedures, and environmental benefits related to the WEC footprint for processing cotton.

11:00 – 11:15 AM Break

11:15 AM Sustainable Chemistry

Speaker: TBA
Clariant Corporation


12:45 PM Conference Adjourns

STRC is a conference that was started approximately 50 years ago to enable technical professionals from the dyestuff, chemical, manufacturing, and academic sectors of the textile industry to assemble.  The conference is designed to foster discussion on the topics presented.  Free time in the afternoon hours is structured to provide attendees an opportunity to forge new friendships and renew old acquaintances.

This conference supports the Luther B. Arnold Scholarship