Additives are used in the textile industry to enhance product properties or to make processing simpler. As textile fibers are manufactured, and garments are produced from those fibers, they move through a significant number of process steps, many of which employ a large number of chemicals.
In an ideal scenario, only finishing chemicals and dyes will be present in the final, completed product, but other potentially harmful chemicals have also been detected in textile pieces.
The PULVERISETTE 19 Universal Cutting Mill from FRITSCH offers the possibility to grind textiles and protective masks in order to properly prepare them for further analysis.
Textile Processing: A Case Study
The goal within this case study was to comminute textiles and FFP2 protective masks using the PULVERISETTE 19. Initially, the textiles were manually pre-shredded to approximately 7 x 8 cm in size.
Figure 1. Textile samples. Image Credit: FRITSCH GmbH - Milling and Sizing
Figure 2. FFP 2 protective masks. Image Credit: FRITSCH GmbH - Milling and Sizing
The First Test: Comminution of Textile Samples
The PULVERISETTE 19 was fitted with a standard rotor, utilizing V-cutting edges in hardened stainless steel, along with a sieve cassette 2 mm square perforation. A high performance, stainless steel Cyclone separator was also connected in order to improve throughput.
Textile samples were successfully comminuted in under one minute. Larger textile pieces, including a skirt and t-shirt, were comminuted in around two minutes, returning a yield of 105 g of ground material.
Volume of the ground material is around 30% higher than that of the original sample pattern. This is a result of structural change occurring in the particles. Residue in the grinding chamber was found to be 5-10% sample material.
Figure 3. PULVERISETTE 19 with high performance Cyclone separator. Image Credit: FRITSCH GmbH - Milling and Sizing
Figure 4. Comminuted textile sample. Image Credit: FRITSCH GmbH - Milling and Sizing
The Second Test: Comminution of FFP2 Masks
The second test carried out involved the shredding of FFP2 protective masks. Prior to the comminution process, metal parts present on the masks were removed. The PULVERISETTE 19 was fitted with a standard rotor utilizing V-cutting edges, and a sieve cassette 4 mm square perforation was used. In this scenario, the grinding time was approximately 45 seconds.
Figure 5. Opened grinding chamber after comminution. Image Credit: FRITSCH GmbH - Milling and Sizing
Figure 6. Sample of comminuted FFP 2 protective masks. Image Credit: FRITSCH GmbH - Milling and Sizing
Conclusion
The examples outlined above highlight the suitability of the FRITSCH Universal Cutting Mill PULVERISETTE 19 for comminuting textiles. This is ideal when preparing textiles for further analysis, for example, investigating the presence of potentially harmful additives.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by FRITSCH GmbH - Milling and Sizing.
For more information on this source, please visit FRITSCH GmbH - Milling and Sizing.