Recycled Dye Bath Filtration for Consistent Textile Dyeing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current textile dyeing processes are inefficient in water and auxiliary product usage, leading to high water consumption, increased costs, and environmental concerns due to residual dye and salt disposal, necessitating innovative recycling methods for dye baths without intermediate treatment.

Innovation Solution

A textile dyeing process that recycles dye baths without intermediate treatment by using a mechanical filter to separate fibers and particles, adjusting dye formulas through UV-Vis spectroscopy, and adding clean water and auxiliary products to maintain consistent color and quality, applicable to cellulosic fibers and polyester blends using disperse, direct, and reactive dyes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional dyeing processes are used with intermediate depuration treatment, then water quality is improved, but water consumption and operational costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewater qualityVSAvoidwater consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent recovers and reuses dye baths after dyeing operations. The spent dye bath is filtered to remove textile particles and then reused for subsequent dyeing cycles, recovering valuable dye, water, and auxiliary products while discarding only the insoluble particulate matter.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

Solution Approach 2:

A mechanical filter acts as an intermediary device between the spent dye bath and the recycling process. This filter removes particles and impurities, enabling the dye bath to be reused without complex chemical or biological treatment systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If intermediate depuration treatment is performed, then environmental protection is improved, but device complexity and treatment costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenvironmental protectionVSAvoidtreatment system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes only the problematic particulate matter from the spent dye bath using mechanical filtration. This simple extraction approach eliminates the need for complex physico-chemical or biological treatment systems while still achieving adequate environmental protection by removing suspended solids before discharge or reuse.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Loss of substance

If water recycling without treatment is implemented, then water consumption is reduced, but manufacturing precision and color consistency deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewater consumptionVSAvoidcolor consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of substanceVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary mechanical filtration of the spent dye bath before recycling it for subsequent dyeing operations. This preliminary removal of particles and impurities prevents contamination of new dye batches while maintaining water and dye reuse, thereby preserving color consistency without requiring complex treatment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Reliability

If conventional dyeing processes are used, then dyeing quality is maintained, but auxiliary product consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedyeing qualityVSAvoidauxiliary product consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent recovers auxiliary products such as salts, acids, and alkalis present in the spent dye bath through the recycling process. These substances remain in the filtered dye bath and are reused in subsequent dyeing operations, reducing the need to add fresh auxiliary products while maintaining dyeing quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This method significantly reduces water and auxiliary product consumption, minimizes environmental impact by reusing 70-90% of dye water and auxiliary products, and prevents salinity in discharge waters, achieving consistent color reproduction and reducing operational costs.

Implementation Method 1

a mechanical filter to separate fibers and particles

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFiltration: Filter (physical)

Implementation Method 2

adjusting dye formulas through UV-Vis spectroscopy

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAbsorption spectroscopy: Absorption Spectroscopy

Data Source

PatentUS8613779B2Textile dyeing process of cellulosic fibers and their blends and polyester and its blends with recycled dyeing baths
Publication Date: 2013.12.24 GOLDEN QUIMICA DO BRASIL

AI summary

A textile dyeing process for dyeing cellulosic fibers and polyester and their respective blends with other fibers in recycled dyeing baths without carrying out any intermediate depuration treatment and using reactive and direct dyes for the cellulosic fibers and dispense dyes for polyester is described. The process recycles both the water already used in a previous dyeing cycle and all added products that have not been absorbed by the textile substrate, as well as the rest of the disperse dyes that had not been depleted in the previous dyeing cycles.