Degumming of Tasar silk using imidazolium-based ionic liquids
Shweta Vyas, Sanjeev R. Shukla
Abstract
In the present work, degumming of Tasar silk was carried out using novel reagents, the ionic liquids (ILs), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [BMIM]Cl and 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium hydrogen sulphate [BMIM]HSO4.The results on weight loss, tensile strength loss and absorbency were compared with soda ash-H2O2 method. These treatments were carried out under conventional heating, sonication and microwave irradiation as different techniques of energy input. The ILs showed higher weight loss and absorbency with negligible strength loss as compared to the soda ash-H2O2 method, [BMIM]Cl being the most effective with further advantage of working at nearly neutral pH. The treatments under sonication and microwave showed increasingly higher efficiency as compared to the conventional heating. The chemical structure of Tasar silk, as estimated by FTIR spectroscopy, and the crystalline structure, as elucidated by X-ray diffraction, remained unchanged. SEM images showed that the surface of Tasar silk degummed with ILs was smoother. The dye uptake was nearly the same for all degummed samples. A further advantage is accrued by recyclability of ILs, which makes the process cost effective.