A cleaner production of ultra-violet shielding wool prints

• Wool protein fiber is one of the most important natural fibers.
• Upgrading its coloration and functional performances is highly demanded.
• Eco-friendly printing and UV-protecting formulations were developed.
• Wool prints with durable and remarkable UV-protection functionality were obtained.
• Quality, environmental and economical concerns were taken in consideration.

There is an urgent need to reduce the environmental impacts of textile wet processes taking in consideration product and environmental quality as well as economic concerns. Substitution of hazardous chemicals at the source and/or shortening the production steps are potential options which could be used to move towards cleaner production process and to cope with ever-increasing demands for eco-friendly textile products. In this research the possibility of enhancing both the ultra-violet shielding and coloration properties of wool fabric in a single-stage using β-cyclodextrin or monochlorotriazinyl β-cyclodextrin as well as certain ultra violet absorbers or blockers as additives to other environmentally benign printing paste components was investigated. The modified one-step coloration and functionalization method, using safer textile auxiliaries, less energy, and water consumption, proved to have positive impacts on the depth of the obtained prints and their fastness properties as well as on their ability to shield the harmful ultra-violet B-radiation without seriously affecting the environment. The enhancement in the imparted properties is governed by type of cyclodextrin, degree of fixation onto/within the wool structure, type and extent of immobilization of the used ultra violet protector, type of dye and its mode of interaction, as well as degree of interactions among the nominated printing paste components and the wool active sites during the steam fixation step. The imparted ultra-violet protection properties to the modified wool prints show obviously improved durability to wash compared to the unmodified ones.