Thailand- based Tong Siang will use Ultraphor KCB optical brightening agent by Archroma, a global leader in colour and specialty chemicals, to colour its white, high-performance sportswear. Tong Siang, a member of the Yeh Group, is making these products using dyeing solution, considered the world’s first water-free and process chemical-free.
The technology is based on carbon dioxide instead of water, and was developed and patented by Dutch process engineering company DyeCoo Textile Systems. Textiles produced by Tong Siang, using this technology, are branded as DryDye fabrics.
When pressurised, carbon dioxide becomes “supercritical”, a phase between a liquid and a gas. In this state, carbon dioxide has a very high solvent power, allowing the dye to dissolve and be transported easily and deeply into fibres, creating bright whites and vibrant colours. The carbon dioxide is reclaimed from existing industrial processes, recycling 95 per cent of it in a closed-loop system. The technology uses 100 per cent pure dyes with more than 98 per cent uptake, and uses no process chemicals and no water, and produces no waste water.
With increased scrutiny by consumers and environmentalists alike, textile manufacturers are eagerly seeking new, sustainable dyeing techniques that do not harm the environment. Archroma’s range of optical brightening agents (OBAs) for polyester – the Ultraphor series – is a perfect solution to meet this need.
Ultraphor KCB is a high-quality concentrate manufactured at Archroma’s dedicated OBA plant in Germany, and is proven to be ideally suited for this water free, carbon dioxide dyeing technology.
Tong Siang has extensively tested Ultraphor and is successfully using it in bulk production, with the resulting products meeting Tong Siang’s customers’ demanding needs related to colour, performance and environmental friendliness.
Ultraphor KCB represents Archroma’s first entry into the carbon dioxide dyeing field, and the company is looking to introduce further coloration and finishing effects in the future.
“While humans have used water to dye fabrics for more than 2,000 years, today water is an increasingly scarce resource that needs to be conserved. DyeCoo’s carbon dioxide dyeing process offers an important step forward, and we at Archroma are pleased to be able to help advance broader use of this eco-friendlier approach,” comments Andrew McDonald, global head of Business Development, Synthetic and Wool, Archroma’s Brand and Performance Textile Specialties Business.
