From eco-bleaching to energy-efficient drying, discover the technologies behind the probably softest, most environmentally friendly towels in the world
Cotton terry fabric has long been the most significant segment in the home textile sector. Over the years, it has evolved from a simple functional necessity to a design element and a source of domestic comfort.
Portugal, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Egypt, China, and Brazil – the world’s major terry producers – have all chosen Biancalani textile machinery. Why? The answer is simple: Biancalani offers the solutions these companies are looking for, guaranteeing minimal production costs and reduced environmental impact.
The comfort and furnishing of one’s home are fundamental elements on which people increasingly invest, rediscovering the simple pleasures of domestic life. Bathrooms are not just “toilets” but genuine wellness spaces furnished with the same care as an elegant living room. This perception of everyday luxury has significantly increased the demand for terry towels, which are not only useful but also represent important style elements.
Traditionally, the processing of cotton terry fabric begins with preparation (for example, to remove sizing agents), continues with bleaching, necessary to prepare the fabric for the dyeing phase, followed by a washing process after dyeing, before moving on to the actual drying and finishing treatment in a tumbler, where the terry fabric transforms into that magnificent work of art that enriches our eyes by beautifying our homes, and pampers us daily with infinite softness.
But all of this comes at a price, which we have always been paying with a gigantic environmental debt: water. To produce a single towel, current processes require up to 5,000 liters of water. Of these, a good portion is used in cotton cultivation, but a non-negligible amount is employed in traditional preparation and finishing processes. To these environmental costs must be added those related to energy and chemical products, which are also quite significant.
Biancalani’s solutions for sustainable Terry Fabric treatment
The true revolution in the sector begins with the introduction of AQUARIA®, Biancalani’s continuous open-width washing system, which brings the concept of sustainability to levels never reached before, allowing necessary treatments to be performed on the fabric before and after dyeing in a completely sustainable and economically competitive manner.
After washing, the revolution continues with the use of AIRO®24, the open-width dryer that has completely redefined the concept of tumble drying, introducing an innovative drying system capable of considerably increasing terry quality while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and chemical products.
Eco-bleaching in AQUARIA®: The ecological breakthrough
The process called eco-bleaching represents a turning point in the preparation and bleaching of terry fabric to make it suitable for dyeing.
Using the unique combination of mechanical action and total water recycling (Zero Water), this innovative, totally sustainable process allows:
- Drastic reduction of water consumption (up to 90% compared to traditional systems)
- Almost complete elimination of the use of chemicals that may be harmful to the environment, using only eco-compatible substances
- Ensuring homogeneous absorption characteristics and a perfectly intact fabric structure with total uniformity and superior quality.
AQUARIA® and post-dyeing washing: water conservation
Even in the washing phase after dyeing, AQUARIA® demonstrates once again – through its water efficiency – its superiority compared to traditional systems. The post-dyeing washing process in AQUARIA® guarantees:
- Water consumption reduced by up to 70%
- Optimal color stability
- Total safety of the treatment, which is performed completely in open width
This combination of efficiency and safety ensures a great reduction in environmental impact and production costs, giving the terry fabric the best quality characteristics, and – thanks to the mechanical action that AQUARIA® applies during washing – an increase in softness, which will find its apotheosis in the subsequent drying in AIRO®24.
Drying and tumbling in AIRO®24: the winning hand
Terry fabric dried with Biancalani’s AIRO®24 stands out for its velvet-like appearance, with perfectly vertical loops and without residual tensions, for a soft and gentle hand and an incredible volume that persists even after washing.
And let’s not forget sustainability: thanks to Research & Development – just take a look at Biancalani’s T-Clab to get a complete idea of what we’re talking about – and to more than 1,700 machines sold based on the AIRO® principle, Biancalani guarantees energy efficiency and respect for the environment. The mechanical action of AIRO®24 ensures the formidable characteristics of hand, softness, and volume of terry fabrics using few or no chemical products, and thanks to its high efficiency also from a thermal point of view, with energy consumption reduced to a minimum.
Furthermore, the modularity and scalability of AIRO®24 reign unmatched, thanks to the availability of auxiliary machines such as the high-efficiency pre-dryer AIRBOX, which allows production capacity to be increased in a granular manner, or versions such as AIRO®24 DUETTO, which offers double production volumes in the same space as a single machine.
Touching the soul with softness: the true value of sustainable Terry Towels
Biancalani has always offered green solutions, working side by side with those who are committed to a more sustainable future. Thanks to this type of synergy, end customers are increasingly informed and aware and can make a difference, choosing terry towels produced with respect for the environment, processed with eco-friendly processes and with minimal use of chemicals.
Those who buy a towel demand a style offering to decorate their home, comfort to dry their body with softness, safety to tenderly wrap their children after bath time, and commitment to the future so that both these children and their children one day can continue to enjoy the pleasure of pampering and being pampered with the fluffiness of a soft and absorbent terry.
Those who produce the towels, for their part, demand versatile, high-efficiency solutions with low production costs, an attentive and ever-present assistance and consulting service, and a relationship of trust based on shared values that are stable over time.
And the answer is simple: Biancalani. The only partner that combines tradition, innovation, and sustainability to provide effective, efficient, and ethically conscious solutions.
Because where there’s terry, there is Biancalani!
Biancalani committed to low-impact textile machinery:
🌪️ Clima Certified continuous tumble dryer in open-width AIRO®24
🌊 Clima Certified open-width continuous washing range AQUARIA®
