Chemistry Behind Yellowing of

Textiles- Causes and Preventive Measures

K.Senthil Kumar
Intertek India Pvt. Ltd, Bangalore, India
Email: senthilkumar163@gmail.com

Mamatha Kambam
USA
Email: mamatha.kambam@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
Yellowing is the discoloration of textiles developed during production,
processing, usage& storage. It is one of the most common quality
problems in natural and synthetic fibers. About 20% of textiles are
finished in full white. Yellowing is mostly encountered in white and pastel
colors, Even dark shades are also affected and it is not prominent. So it is
necessary to know the chemistry behind, various causes and preventive
measures of yellowing. In this article the various potential causes of
yellowing like fiber ageing, yellowing due to gaseous pollutant in the
atmosphere, chemical auxiliary used in processing and finishing,
contaminant present in the storage materials & the preventive measures
are studied.

Why white garments tend to yellow?

In general a substance appears to white when it reflects red, blue and
green light. On usage due to fiber ageing and environmental factors the
substance absorbs blue light and it reflects red and green light. By theory
of light a substance appears to be white when it reflects red, blue and
green light. If it absorbs blue light then it reflects red and green light. The
combination of red and green gives yellow light. Thats why the white
garments shows Yellowing.
 Yellowing of Textiles
Causes of Yellowing:
1. Fiber ageing
Fiber ageing is one of the primary causes of yellowing. The environmental
impact on the textile fibers leads to fiber ageing. The continuous exposure
of sunlight leads to photo degradation of the textile fibers in particular
natural fibers like cotton, viscose, linen etc. In the photo degradation
process there is breakage of bond occurs within the polymeric structure of
the fibers and leads to strength and color loss etc.. Usually natural fibers
like cotton by its origin it is slight yellowish in color. On further photo
oxidation it yellowness increase. Manmade fibers like nylon, spandex and
polyester are more prone to yellowing.

We can avoid the fiber ageing by proper storing of fibers.

Avoid exposure to direct sunlight and high humidity.
2. Environmental pollutants
Yellowing issues due to the atmospheric pollutants play a vital role. The
various environmental pollutants are ozone, NOX, SOX etc..

2.1 Yellowing by ozone

Ozone is a tri-atomic molecule of oxygen. It is a strong oxidizing agent.

2.1.1 Ozone Formation

Ozone is one of the primary pollutants which found naturally in
atmosphere. In addition to this, ozone is produced by the combined action
of sunlight, oxides of nitrogen and oxygen.

Under the sun ultraviolet radiation of shorter wavelength (<420nm),

nitrogen dioxide undergoes photolysis process to form nitrogen oxide and
atomic oxygen. This atomic oxygen combines with molecular oxygen to
form ozone molecule. Again this ozone reacts with nitric oxide to form
molecular oxygen and nitrogen dioxide and this cycle continues.

2.1.2 Yellowing of denims

The ozone molecules present in the surface of the earth interact with the
denim garments. Ozone oxidizes the Indigo dye into Isatin and Antranalic
acid and the complex of the two products. Isatin is yellow in color, so
indigo dyed blue garment turns to yellow.

2.1.2.1 Factors affecting the yellowing of denims

Unfixed dyes
Indigo dyeing is ring dyeing technique in which dyes are not allowed to
diffuse into yarn structure. On usage the dyes present at the surface of
the yarn get abraded and gives faded look. The yellowing of Indigo dyes
depends on the unfixed dye particles present on the surface of the yarn.
The unfixed dyes are mainly due to back staining occurring during the
washing process. Back staining is the re deposition of the loose dyes
discharged in to the wash bath.

Unfixed dyes should be removed at the end of the dyeing process.

Prevent back staining during de sizing & washing process by using
proper anti back staining agents.
Humidity
Yellowing of denim depend on the humidity of the garment in which it is
present. Water film formation occurs at the surface of the fibers and
causes swelling. The swelled fibers absorb ozone easily and results in
yellowing.

Avoid storing the garment in humid condition.

Dont leave the garment in wet condition for longer period.
Anti ozone softeners
For a short term protection we can go by antioxidants like sodium bisulfate
and ethylene diamine etc.. These agents undergo decomposition process
and protect Indigo dyes from yellowing. For a long term period we can use
anti ozone softeners & these are amine based softeners.

How Anti ozone softener works?

The main steps involved are

a. Film formation
The anti ozone softener forms a film over fabric surface thus preventing
the Indigo dye from reaction with atmospheric ozone.

b. Self degradation
The anti ozone film will react with atmospheric pollutants and undergoes
self degradation process and breakdown in to its colorless compounds.
Thus the anti ozone softener undergoes self scarification process in the
prevention of indigo dyes from the oxidation.
2.2 Oxides of nitrogen
Oxides of nitrogen are one of the main causes of yellowing. In the
combustion process when the temperature of air exceeds 538C, nitrogen
and oxygen combine to form nitrogen oxide. These nitrogen oxides are
released from automobiles, trucks and industrial equipments. These
nitrogen oxides react with the residues present on the surface of the
fabric. At higher concentration these oxides of nitrogen directly affect the
nylon fiber.

Ware houses and factories should be properly ventilated to avoid

the accumulation of oxides of nitrogen.
Avoid use of diesel trucks instead use electrical trucks in ware
houses and storage areas.
3. Transferred contaminants
One of the main causes of yellowing of white and pastel shades is
phenols. BHT (Butyl Hydroxyl Toluene) is an antioxidant used in polythene
and polypropylene bags to prevent ageing of olefin. It is used in shoulder
pads and interlining materials

3.1 Mechanism of yellowing

BHT undergo oxidation process in the presence of NOX to form quinone
and nitrophenol. 2,6 di-tert butyl p-cresol undergoes nitration in the
presence of NOX to form 2, 6 di-tert-4-nitrophenol.
In the presence of nitration it forms quinone. These products are yellow in
color. Even at the room temperature it can be transferred to the textile
materials These kind of yellowing occur in the form of yellow streaks or
patches while the garments are stored in poly bags in retail shops. This
reaction is base catalyzed and takes place in slightly alkaline medium.
These nitro phenols and quinines are colorless in acidic medium and
become bright yellow in alkaline medium.

It is found that polyamide fibers shows severe yellowing with BHT. This
yellowing is reversible and it can be removed by acid scouring or washing
with hot water and methanol.

It can be prevented by avoiding the usage of BHT poly bags for

storage purpose.
The pH of the final stage of the garment should be slightly acidic to
neutral (5.5 to 6.5). Neutralize with non volatile organic acid (Citric
and oxalic acid) to achieve core neutralization. Avoid using volatile
acid for neutralization process because only ring neutralization can be
achieved.
Avoid the accumulation of exhaust gases to control the reaction
between BHT and nitrogen oxides.
To avoid the reaction between BHT and nitrogen oxides we can use
Anti phenolic yellowing agent.
These agents blocks the reactive sites of BHT ,thus the reaction
between the BHT & Atmospheric nitrogen oxides are prevented.
4. Chemical additives
By improper use of chemical additives during processing and finishing like
softeners, OBA and salts leads to yellowing.

a. Softener
Softeners are used to impart soft handle to the fabric. Among softeners
most commonly used is the cationic and silicone softeners. These are
amine based softeners (N-H) and reacts with free chlorine present in the
commercial detergents containing chlorine bleaches and also with
municipal water containing chlorine as a disinfectant. The chlorine reacts
with these amines to form chloramines (yellow in color). So it imparts
yellow color to textile garments.

In addition these amines undergo oxidation process at temperature over

140C to form oxides of nitrogen. These oxides are yellow in color at lower
concentrations.

Use softeners with low amine value.

Wash with detergents containing non chlorine bleaches and
enzymes.
b. Optical Brightening Agents
OBA is used to enhance the whiteness of the fabric. The unsaturated
structure of OBA absorbs uv light and violet light at 340-370nm and it re-
emits the absorbed uv light (short wavelength) in to visible blue light
(longer wavelength) at 420-470nm. The emitted blue light changes the
hue of the yellowness in the fabric to whiter. These unsaturations are very
sensitive to sunlight and loss its ability to work & leads to yellowing

OBA used for cellulosic fibers not stable at low pH so it leads to

yellowing.
Unfavorable conditions like excessive heat and high humidity leads
to oxidation of OBA and it loses its whiteness.
Over usage of OBA beyond the saturation limits leads to yellowing
and it can be controlled by stripping.
Proper selection of OBA to avoid ionic interactions of anionic
brightener with cationic finishes leads to deterioration of brightener.
5. Conclusion
From the above study it can be concluded that yellowing of textiles is
mainly due to fiber ageing, atmospheric pollutants, chemical additives and
storage contaminants. The below precautionary measures should be taken
at each stage of the garment production until it reaches the final
customer.

pH of the garments should be slightly acidic to neutral.

Avoid storing in place contain atmospheric pollutants like NOX and
SOX.
Avoid use of poly bags containing BHT.
Proper selection and usage of OBA.
6. References
1. Yellowing of white fabric and garments by Dr. Naresh M Saraf and
Deepak V. Alat, International dyer, page no: 23-25
2. Yellowing of textiles by Rajesh koul at
http://articles.fibre2fashion.com
3. Jack n Jill and their Jaded Jeans by Dr. Naresh M Saraf and Deepak
V. Alat, International dyer, page no: 28-30
4. Yellowing of textiles on storage by David T Parkes at
http://articles.fibre2fashion.com
5. Denim garment processing by Dr. Ravichandran.L, Fabric Care