Greige Fabric Storage Requirements and Preservation Standards
Unfinished greige fabric preservation demands humidity control between 50 and 65 percent relative humidity to prevent size retrogradation and oil oxidation.
Hydrogen Peroxide Demand
Bleaching Consumption
Continuous bleaching ranges apply oxidative liquor to natural cellulosics after desizing and scouring operations. Determination of hydrogen peroxide demand calculates the precise volume of oxidant necessary to destroy natural pigments without degrading cotton cellulose. Grey cotton contains flavone pigments, natural waxes, protein residues, and seed coat fragments that consume active oxygen.
Alkaline peroxide bleaching converts insoluble chromophores into colourless soluble compounds. Bleaching liquor depletion reaches stability when organic impurities are oxidized.
Impurity Load
Unrefined raw cotton carries high quantities of pectin and natural wax that consume active bleaching agents. Pima cotton requires less oxidant than coarse upland varieties due to lower seed shell contamination.
Chemical Dosing
Sodium hydroxide addition activates hydrogen peroxide by creating reactive perhydroxide ions inside the bath. Organic stabilizers regulate decomposition speed to prevent rapid oxygen gas evolution. Iron or copper metal ions cause violent catalytic destruction of peroxide molecules.
Excess stabilizer concentration restricts bleaching activity and increases chemical expenditure.
Titration Protocol
Residual peroxide concentration is measured by potassium permanganate titration of bath samples gathered during processing runs. Active oxidant calculations compare initial bath strength against residual liquor concentrations after steaming. A residual peroxide level between twenty and thirty percent ensures complete whiteness without fiber damage.
Incomplete peroxide consumption indicates over-dosing and excessive processing costs.