The document provides an extensive study on fabric softeners, detailing their types, properties, and application processes in textile finishing. It discusses the functions of different softeners, including cationic, anionic, non-ionic, and silicone varieties, along with historical context and manufacturing methods. The piece emphasizes the significance of softeners in improving fabric feel and functionality while also addressing future trends in the market.

1. STUDY ON VARIOUS KINDS OF
SOFTENER (CHARACTER, PH,
APPLICATION PROCESS) IN FINISHING
ON TEXTILE GOODS
MD. AZMERI LATIF BEG
MSC IN TE

2. INTRODUCTION
• Fabric softener (also called fabric conditioner) is used to prevent
static cling and make fabric softer i.e. Softening agents are applied
to textiles to improve their hand, drape, cutting and sewing
qualities.
• It is available as a liquid or as dryer sheets.
• Fabric softeners work by coating the surface of the cloth fibers with
a thin layer of chemicals; these chemicals have lubricant properties
and are electrically conductive, thus making the fibers feel
smoother and preventing buildup of static electricity.
• The disadvantage of coating fibers by hydrophobic layer is in
decreasing the water absorption properties of the fabric
• Based on the ionic natures softener can be classified into six
categories:
– Cationic softeners
– Anionic softeners
– Non ionic softeners
– Amphoteric softeners
– Reactive softeners
– Silicone softeners

3. Reasons for using softener:
• As the textile material goes under various mechanical and
chemical processes that make the surface of the material harsh.
For example, Removal of natural oil and waxes by scouring and
bleaching.
• Resin finishing of textile material also imparts some degree of
harshness. soaping of textile material also add harsh feeling to
the material.
• As consumers are much more caring about the touch of textile
material. This is also reason for using softener.
Desirable properties of textile softener:
• It should be easy to handle.
• It should have good compatibility to other chemicals.
• It should not affect the shade of the material.
• It should not affect the fastness of dyed material.
• It should not cause any yellowing effect on dyed and finished material.
• It should be stable to high temperature.
• It should be non volatile by water vapour.
• It should be non toxic and non caustic.
• It should be easily bio degradable.

4. The Past
• The first fabric softeners were developed by the textile industry
during the early twentieth century. At that time the process that
was used to dye cotton fibers left them feeling harsh.
• In the early 1900s, preparations known as cotton softeners were
developed to improve the feel of these fibers after dyeing. A
typical cotton softener consisted of seven parts water, three parts
soap, and one part olive, corn, or tallow oil.
• By the 1960s several major marketers, including Procter and
Gamble, had begun selling liquid fabric softener compositions for
home use.
• In the late 1970s manufacturers found a way to deliver fabric
softening benefits in a dryer sheet format.
• In the 1990s, environmentally minded manufacturers began test
marketing ultra-concentrated formulations.
• By the end of the 1990s, annual sales of liquid fabric softeners in
the United States reached approximately $700 million (in
supermarkets, drug stores, and mass merchandisers). For the
sake of comparison, about $400 million worth of dryer sheets are
sold each year.

5. The Future
There are two formula related areas
that will affect the future of fabric
softeners.
The first is the impact the ultra-
concentrates will have on the
market
The second area is related to the
role that multi-functionality will play
in the future.

6. Raw Materials
• Conditioning agents
The most common ingredients used was dihydrogenated tallow dimethyl
ammonium chloride (DHTDMAC), which belongs to a class of materials
known as quaternary ammonium compounds, or quats. This kind of
ingredient is useful because part of the molecule has a positive charge that
attracts and binds it to negatively charged fabric fibers. One of the new
classes of materials employed in fabric softener formulations today is
polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).
• Emulsifiers
The conditioning ingredients used in fabric softeners are not typically
soluble in water because of their oily nature. Therefore, another type of
chemical, known as an emulsifier. There are three types of emulsifiers used
in fabric softener formulations: micro-emulsions, macro-emulsions, and
emulsion polymers.
• Other ingredients
Fabric softeners contain other ingredients to improve their aesthetic appeal
and to ensure the product will be shelf stable. Fragrance and color are
added to make the product more pleasing to consumers. In addition,
emulsion stabilizers and preservatives are used to ensure the product

7. The Manufacturing Process
The preferred method for manufacturing liquid softeners involves heating
the ingredients together in one large mixing vessel. Mixing tanks should
be constructed from high grade stainless steel to prevent attack from the
corrosive agents in the formula. The tank is typically equipped with a
jacketed shell that allows steam and cold water to be circulated, so the
temperature of the batch can be easily controlled. In addition the tank is
fitted with a propeller type mixer that is driven by a large electric motor.
This kind of mixing blade provides the high shear that is needed to
properly disperse the ingredients.
• Once the water has been added to the tank, heating and mixing is
initiated.
• The conditioning ingredients used in softeners are not typically water
soluble, so they are added to the water phase after the emulsifiers. For a
typical strength formulation about 5% is used. For more concentrated
formulations, levels of 10% are more common. When blends of quats
and silicones are used, the silicones are used at levels as low as 0.5-
1.5%.
• Heating and mixing continues until the batch is homogeneous. At this
point cool water is circulated around the tank to lower the temperature.
As the batch cools, the remaining ingredients, such as preservatives,
dyes, and fragrance, are added.

8. Quality Control
• Simple laboratory tests are used to determine basic
properties such as pH, viscosity, and percent solids.
These tests can help confirm that the correct ingredients
were added at the appropriate levels.
• Other, more rigorous, tests are done to ensure the
formulation is functioning correctly. One such evaluation
is a water absorbency test, sometimes called the Drayes
Wetting Test. This procedure involves dropping small
pieces of treated fabric onto water and recording the
length of time required for the fabric to sink. This
measurement is taken 10 times to obtain an average
result.
• Anti-wrinkle properties can be evaluated by asking
panelists to rate samples of fabric before they have been
ironed. They are asked to numerically rate the amount of
wrinkling between the test sample and the fabric softener
treated sample.

9. Mechanisms of Softening Effect
• Depending on the ionic nature of the softener molecule
and the relative hydrophobicity of the fiber surface,
cationic softeners orient themselves with their positively
charged ends toward the partially negatively charged
fabrics (zeta potential), creating a new surface of
hydrophobic carbon chain that provide the characteristic
excellent softening and lubricity seen with cationic
softeners.
• Anionic softeners, on the other hand, orient themselves
with their negatively charged ends repelled away from the
negatively charged fiber surface. This leads to higher
hydrophilicity, but less softening than with cationic
softeners
• The orientation of non-ionic softeners depends on the
nature of the fiber surface, with the hydrophilic portion of
the softener being attracted to hydrophilic surfaces and
the hydrophobic portion being attracted to hydrophobic
surface.

11. Cationic Softener
• The simplest cationic are the primary, secondary and tertiary mono-amines and
their salts, formed by neutralization of the amines, usually with acetic acid.
• Reaction, with alkylating like methyl chloride, benzyl chloride, dimethyl sulphate,
etc converts the insoluble amines into water soluble salts, which are more active
than the original amines.
Mode of action:
• When a quaternary ammonium softener is dissolved in water, it ionizes into a
hydrophilic head with a negative charge and a hydrophobic tail carrying a
positive charge. On the other hand, when textile fibers are entered into water
they acquire a negative charge. When a textile fiber is entered into an aqueous
solution of a cationic softener.
• During the softening treatment the negative charge on the fiber surface attracts
the positive tail of the cationic softener. This result in firmly anchoring of the
softener residue on the fiber substance, somewhat similar to sheathing the fiber
with an oily film. This is responsible for obtaining a soft handle and a pliable, well
lubricated fiber surface.
Properties of cationic softener:
• They are compatible with most resin finishes.
• It has tendency to change the shade.
• It also affects the fastness of certain dyestuffs.
• It also causes discoloration on white fabrics.

12. MATERIALS & METHODS
• Properties:
• Appearance Milky liquid
• Composition Polyamide derivative
• Ionicity Weak cationic
• pH (1% solution) 5.0 ± 0.5
• Solubility Soluble in water in any
proportion
• Application pH range 4 – 7
• Application temperature range 45°-50C°

13. AN-IONIC SOFTENER
• Anionic softening agents are available in the form of
off-white thick paste, creamish viscous paste, Being
anionic in character, they are compatible with direct
dyes, optical whitening agents, starches, glue,
gelatine, gums, resins, polyvinyl alcohol, blueing
agents, etc and are stable to hard water, dilute
alkalies and dilute acids. They may be applied on
cotton, viscose rayon, acetate rayon, silk and nylon
yarns to produce soft and supple finishes. Solutions
of the anionic softening agents can be prepared by
pouring 20 times its weight of boiling water with
stirring and boiling for 5 to 10min

14. Silicone softeners:
Properties:
• A new class of anionic softeners.
• Expensive
• It gives improved wrinkle recovery also.
• Initially polydimethyl siloxane(PDMS) was used as softener.
• Later amino functional Silicone softener was developed which gives high
lubricity with small proportions.
• It is more expensive.
• It gives an extremely soft hand.
Properties:
• Appearance Transparent liquid
• Composition Blend of amino silicones and urethane
• Ionicity Non-ionic
• pH (1% solution) 7.0 ± 1.0
• Solubility Soluble in water
• Application pH range 4.5-5.5
• Solid Content 42%

15.  Non-ionic softeners:
 Paraffin wax and fatty emulations are
included in non ionic softening agents, e.g.
silicon AFN. They are applied like anionic
emulsions.
This group also includes:
 polyglycol ethers,
 polyglycol esters and
 other oxyethylation products.

16. Silky Top:
• Silky Top is a blend of cationic and silicone softener.
It can be used for cotton, polyester and their blends.
It imparts cotton garment excellent limpy, softening
and brilliant look. It does not affect dye fastness. It
increases depth of dyeing.
Amphoteric Softener:
• Typical properties are good softening effects, low
permanence to washing and high antistatic effects.
They have fewer ecological problems than similar
cationic products
Hydrophilic Softeners:
• Hydrophilic Silicone is an epoxide modified
hydrophilic silicone emulsion.
Urethane Softeners:
• Urethane Softeners is a blend of silicone softener and
polymer resins

17. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
Cationic softener:
 This kind of softener makes soft fabric deeply.
 It changes fabrics shade.
 It makes white spot on fabrics.
Anionic softener:
 It makes fabric soft comparatively low then cationic
softener.
 It does not effect on shade.
 It mainly use on white shade.

18. Non-ionic softener
 It makes fabrics sleeper on surface.
 It makes fabrics shade yellowish.
 It affects on fabrics fastness properties.
 It effect on fabrics water absorbency.
 It makes permanent chemical spot on fabric.

19. Using of softener in textile sector:
 Before unloading the fabrics, softener is used all types of fabrics in last
process to soft the fabrics. Mainly cationic softener is used but some
times another softener is used. When we need to change the shade
then cationic softener is use and when it is no need to chance the shade
only need to soft the fabrics then non-ionic softener is use.
 If different types of softeners are used in color shade but only non-ionic
softener is used for white shade.
 some time white shade is bright then cationic softener are use.
 for open fabric Softener is use in the chemicals tank of stenter machine
In this process mixture is use of cationic softener and silicon softener. if
we need yellowish shade then we more use silicon softener. But we
need changing the shade then we use more cationic softener.
 For collar, cuff and tube fabric, softener is use in the chemicals tank of
squeezer machine

20.  Amount of using chemicals:
Dyeing machine
Silicon softener 1gm/liter
Cationic softener (.5-1)gm/ liter
stenter machine
Silicon softener 50gm/liter
Cationic softener 15gm/liter
Squeezer machine
Silicon softener 40gm/liter
Cationic softener 20gm/liter
note: require amount of chemicals depend into sade.

21. Formula used for calculation of softener
For dyeing machine
Gm/liter *minimum liquor of m/c
Softener = kg
1000
For stenter &squeezer m/c
Total liquor = fabrics weight * take up %
Amount of softener = (gm/liter * total liquor) gm
Or
Softener = (fabrics weight * take up % *
gm/liter) gm

22. Amount of take up%
For stenter m/c
By the take up % we means that, it is the ability of fabrics to absorbed the
water/ chemicals from chemicals tank. After slitting of the fabrics (30-40) %
water are squeeze. For this reason take up % of stenter machine are let
40%. Mainly take up % depend on the padder passer of sitting machine. If
padder passer squeezes 30% of water from fabric then take up % should be
let 30%.
Amount o take up %:
For dry fabrics (30-40) %
For wet fabrics 100 %
For squeezer m/c
 In the squeezer machine after first padder the 20 % water are squeeze
from fabrics and 30% water are squeeze from fabrics by the back padder.
For this reason take up % of squeezer machine are let (15-20)%. In this
machine mainly take up % depend on the front padder passer and back
padder passer of sitting machine.
Amount o take up %:
For wet fabrics (15-20) %
For dry fabrics 100 %

23. . Softener Mark
 Causes:
- Improper mixing of the Softener.
- Improper running time of the fabric during
application of softener.
- Entanglement of the fabric during application
of softener: .5 gram/liter

24. CONCLUSION
To conclude the report about the application of
softener it is to be said that, the softener is one of
the most important chemical to be applied onto the
fabric. Softener makes a fabric capable of being
used with comfort. It also controls other vital
characteristics of a fabric. So, It is sure after all this
information that the knowledge about the softener
is very important to complete the process of textile
processing.

25. THANK YOU