Ensuring energy conservation and emission reduction is the top priority for the printing and dyeing industry

On the occasion of the upcoming "Denim Washing Green Environmental Protection Technology - Energy Conservation, Emission Reduction,

On the occasion of the upcoming "Denim Washing Green Environmental Protection Technology - Energy Conservation, Emission Reduction, and Efficiency Enhancement Seminar" hosted by the China Cotton Textile Industry Association, "Textile and Clothing Weekly" interviewed Xu Wenying, Vice President of the China Textile Industry Association and President of the China Cotton Textile Industry Association, on the theme of energy conservation and emission reduction in the coloring and weaving denim industry.

Textile and Clothing Weekly: What is the significance of energy conservation and emission reduction for the development of yarn dyed denim industry?

Xu Wenying: Faced with the high cost and low profit margin situation in the textile industry, energy conservation and emission reduction are not only necessary for the healthy development and structural adjustment of the industry, but also for enterprises to undertake social responsibility.

At present, China's textile industry is facing significant pressure in energy conservation and emission reduction. The total amount of wastewater discharged from the textile industry accounts for 7.5% of the national industrial wastewater statistics. Among them, printing and dyeing (including color woven denim fabric) wastewater accounts for 80% of the total amount of wastewater discharged from the textile industry.

According to statistics from the State Environmental Protection Administration, the total amount of wastewater discharged from China's printing and dyeing industry (including yarn dyed denim fabric) ranks fifth among the total emissions of the manufacturing industry in the country. The unit water consumption of printing and dyeing enterprises is about three times that of developed countries, but the water reuse rate lags behind the average level of the manufacturing industry, only 7%. From this statistical figure, it can be seen that the printing and dyeing industry (including yarn dyed denim fabric) is a high energy consuming, high water consuming, and high polluting industry. In the context of energy shortage, water resource shortage, and continuous deterioration of environmental pollution, it is urgent to focus on energy conservation and emission reduction, clean production, and water resource reuse in the current printing and dyeing industry (including yarn dyed denim fabric). It affects the healthy development of the industry and is related to the rise and fall of enterprises.

Textile and Clothing Weekly: What is the focus of energy conservation and emission reduction in the yarn dyed denim industry?

Xu Wenying: From the production characteristics of the cotton textile industry, the focus of energy conservation is on electricity saving, and the focus of emission reduction is on the color woven denim fabric industry. The two main focuses of the yarn dyed denim fabric industry are environmental protection pulp and the adoption of advanced energy-saving and emission reducing production processes.

Environmentally friendly pulp is the material source for emission reduction. The China Cotton Textile Industry Association attaches great importance to the use and promotion of environmentally friendly pulp. Since 1996, it has proposed the concept of "using less PVA and not using it". Nowadays, this concept has formed a consensus and has achieved results in application technology. At present, we should accelerate the pace from "using less PVA" to "not using PVA". As long as there is support from sizing and sizing technology and coordinated innovation in textile sizing work, there will be more and more sizing technologies that replace PVA to serve production and play a greater role in reducing the emission of printing and dyeing desizing wastewater.

From the perspective of the association, we extensively solicit advanced energy-saving and emission reduction production technology from the society, closely monitor new technological changes at home and abroad, and promptly hold relevant seminars. The seminar on denim washing green environmental protection technology - energy conservation, emission reduction, and efficiency improvement, which will be held in Guangzhou on August 20th, aims to promote the application and promotion of energy-saving and emission reduction technologies in the industry.

Textile and Apparel Weekly: An important topic of this seminar is to exchange the application experience of the GP8000 denim washing process from Dow Corning in the United States. Could you please introduce the situation in this regard?

Xu Wenying: The color woven denim industry is a key focus of energy conservation and emission reduction in the cotton textile industry, and the washing process is of utmost importance, mainly because of the high energy consumption and large amount of waste generated during this process.

Developing and applying advanced production processes that save energy, reduce emissions, and increase efficiency has become a goal that the industry and enterprises have been striving for. Dow Corning GP8000 softener is used in the washing process of denim clothing. It is an organic silicon softener and currently the most widely used fiber smoothing agent. Its development speed is fast, and its toxicity and biodegradability meet environmental requirements. In November 2007, Dow Corning began conducting process tests on denim clothing production enterprises in China, demonstrating the usability of the product in terms of water, gas, time, and labor. From the experimental data, it can be seen that this product can save about 30% water and 20% to 40% time, thus increasing the factory's production capacity. It is better than traditional processes in terms of anti dyeing and anti sticking performance and water repellency. It can provide denim clothing with a dry and soft feel, friction fastness and other physical and chemical indicators that are on par with or improved by traditional processes. While ensuring product quality, simplifying the process has the effect of energy conservation and emission reduction.

After the successful trial of GP8000 softener, it was directly used on the production lines of some washing enterprises for nearly half a year. This themed seminar on this green and environmentally friendly washing process aims to widely exchange experiences, accelerate the industrialization process of GP8000 softener, and promote cost reduction, energy conservation, and emission reduction in the color woven denim industry.