Enzymatic hydrolysis of nylon 6 fiber using lipolytic enzyme

This study confirms the structural changes of nylon 6 fibers using lipase by measuring the dyeability, hydrophilicity, chemical changes, and fastness properties. For this purpose, nylon 6 fabrics were first treated separately with different concentrations of lipase enzyme. The dyeing process was then carried out on the treated fabrics with two disperse and acid dyes. A UV‐vis spectrophotometer was used for determination of dyebath exhaustion. Acid and disperse dyes showed higher dyebath exhaustion on the enzyme treated samples compared to raw material. The intensity of major peaks in FTIR spectra of the lipase treated samples are in favor of chemical changes of the polypeptide functional groups in fabric. Tensile strength of treated fabrics was decreased due to enzyme treatment. The results of color measurements in the CIELAB system showed that the darkness of the samples increased with an increase in the enzyme percentage in the solution. The results of moisture regain showed that treatment of nylon fabrics with lipolytic enzymes caused to increase the moisture absorbency. The wash and light fastness properties of samples were measured according to ISO 105‐CO5 and Daylight ISO 105‐BO1 and discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010