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Reduction of Surfactant Residues on Textiles for Medical Application

AiF Research Project No. 10570 (GT)

For medical reasons the surfactant content of textiles which may get into contact with body fluids during operations (sponges, drapes) has to be minimised. This is rather difficult because of the surface activity using normal rinsing processes. Disposals show up problems, too. So to improve the hygienic status it seems to be reasonable to develop an economically acceptable, additional extraction procedure will further reduce the surfactant concentration of reusable textiles (and disposals).

Cotton and Polyester with adsorbed amounts of fatty alcohol ethoxylates (FAEO) and alkyl benzene sulfonate (LAS) were extracted using supercritical carbon dioxide together with a variety of modifiers (SFE). Independent of temperature and pressure applied FAEO were easily extractable from polyester without any modifier. With regard to cotton the results were significantly inferior even in the presence of modifiers. LAS was only slightly extractable from both substrates. Only in the presence of ethanol as modifier a slight improvement of the extraction of LAS was found.

Parallel to SFE investigation were carried out to determine the surfactant content of the fibrous material before and after SFE using a chromatography applying supercritical carbon dioxide. In the case of the fatty alcohol ethoxylates a correlation between retention time and degree of ethoxylation (with the n-hydrocarbon chain being constant) respectively between retention time and chain length of the hydrocarbon group (with the degree of ethoxylation being constant) could be found. Some FAEO-mixtures could be separated according to their degree of ethoxylation.

The minimum amount to be determined was too high to quantify the low amount of FAEO as individual substances. Using HPLC in combination with a diode array sensor as well as the two-dimensional Thin Layer Chromatography allowed to determine residual as low as 1 mg per 100 g of textile material.

The research project (AiF-RP-No. 10570) was supported from the budget of the federal Ministry of Economic Affairs through the Arbeitsgemeinschaft industrieller Forschungsvereinigungen (Association of Industrial Research Organisations) "Otto von Guericke" e.V. (AiF). We would like to thank the Forschungskuratorium Gesamttextil and all funding organisations.

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General Information Research Conferences and Workshops Hard Surface Cleaning Hygiene Standardization Services Testmaterial Imprint Members deutsch print		Reduction of Surfactant Residues on Textiles for Medical Application AiF Research Project No. 10570 (GT) For medical reasons the surfactant content of textiles which may get into contact with body fluids during operations (sponges, drapes) has to be minimised. This is rather difficult because of the surface activity using normal rinsing processes. Disposals show up problems, too. So to improve the hygienic status it seems to be reasonable to develop an economically acceptable, additional extraction procedure will further reduce the surfactant concentration of reusable textiles (and disposals). Cotton and Polyester with adsorbed amounts of fatty alcohol ethoxylates (FAEO) and alkyl benzene sulfonate (LAS) were extracted using supercritical carbon dioxide together with a variety of modifiers (SFE). Independent of temperature and pressure applied FAEO were easily extractable from polyester without any modifier. With regard to cotton the results were significantly inferior even in the presence of modifiers. LAS was only slightly extractable from both substrates. Only in the presence of ethanol as modifier a slight improvement of the extraction of LAS was found. Parallel to SFE investigation were carried out to determine the surfactant content of the fibrous material before and after SFE using a chromatography applying supercritical carbon dioxide. In the case of the fatty alcohol ethoxylates a correlation between retention time and degree of ethoxylation (with the n-hydrocarbon chain being constant) respectively between retention time and chain length of the hydrocarbon group (with the degree of ethoxylation being constant) could be found. Some FAEO-mixtures could be separated according to their degree of ethoxylation. The minimum amount to be determined was too high to quantify the low amount of FAEO as individual substances. Using HPLC in combination with a diode array sensor as well as the two-dimensional Thin Layer Chromatography allowed to determine residual as low as 1 mg per 100 g of textile material. The research project (AiF-RP-No. 10570) was supported from the budget of the federal Ministry of Economic Affairs through the Arbeitsgemeinschaft industrieller Forschungsvereinigungen (Association of Industrial Research Organisations) "Otto von Guericke" e.V. (AiF). We would like to thank the Forschungskuratorium Gesamttextil and all funding organisations.

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