Sustainable Denim Finishing through Commercial Acid and Neutral Cellulase Enzyme Treatments under Application-Oriented Processing Conditions: A Comparative Study

Denim finishing is a crucial process that transforms raw denim into a wearable fabric. Different washing treatments, such as stone washing, enzyme washing, bleach washing, and acid washing, enhance the appearance, comfort, and utility of denim apparel by causing fading, softening, or damaged patterning. Among these, enzyme-based treatment is widely used for controlled fading, as well as from an environmental perspective. This research work proposes an application-oriented comparative assessment of commercial acid cellulase and neutral cellulase enzyme washes on indigo-dyed denim fabric under industrially relevant particular processing conditions. Thus, the differences observed should not be interpreted as a general performance difference between acid and neutral cellulase categories. The treated samples were evaluated in terms of GSM, shrinkage, EPI (Ends per Inch), PPI (Picks per Inch), bending rigidity, breaking strength, and color depth evaluation to discern the distinctions between the two processes. Findings indicated that under the specific conditions, commercial neutral enzyme washes resulted in slightly greater GSM reduction, softer fabric in warp direction, and enhanced fading effects measured with a lower grey scale compared to commercial acid enzyme washes. Furthermore, due to the absence of acids in commercial neutral enzyme wash, it offers a potentially more sustainable solution for the denim industry, reducing costs in the context of less consumption of chemicals, and minimizing overall environmental impact.