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Optimization of Enzyme-Assisted Ultrasonic Irradiation Silk Degumming Process

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Abstract

Silk degumming is an essential operation that must be carried out neatly and to a high standard in order to yield better quality of silk. A degumming eliminates sericin, while limiting evident injury to the silk fibroin from hydrolysis is a critical task. In the present study, performance of enzyme-assisted ultrasonic irradiation silk degumming process is compared with conventional method and optimization of its process parameters was carried out by using response surface methodology. Research outcome exhibiting enzyme solution concentration, temperature and sonication time has a significant impact on weight loss, filament strength and elongation. In the first part of study, conventional degumming process has more weight and tensile property losses. Remaining part of experimentation indicates process variables have significant influence on characteristics of degummed silk, apart from this possibility in improvement of degumming efficiency with ecological benefits.

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There are no financial interests to record, and all co-authors have seen and agreed with the contents of the work. We certify that the contribution is unique and that it is not currently under consideration by another publisher.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, China

    Saurabh Rawan & Sangyong Zhang

  2. D.K.T.E. Society’s Textile and Engineering Institute, Ichalkaranji, 416115, India

    Atul Dhavale, Manjunath C. Burji & Umesh Kore

Authors
  1. Saurabh Rawan
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  2. Sangyong Zhang
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  3. Atul Dhavale
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  4. Manjunath C. Burji
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  5. Umesh Kore
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Correspondence to Atul Dhavale.

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Conflict of interest

This manuscript deals with mulberry silk degumming optimization using response surface approach (Box and Behnken method), ultrasonic irradiation and traditional hot bath treatment. For the traditional method of degumming, soap solution and papain enzyme were used at temperatures of 85 and 90 °C, respectively. The control sample treated with soap solution gives 18.60% weight loss along with loss in single fibre strength and breaking elongation. Ultrasonics seems to be a more effective approach (technology) to improve degumming efficiency than the traditional heating bath and has been found to make textile wet processing ecologically beneficial. The software helped to verify the predictive model of the suggested method after tests had been carried on the tested samples. The predicted values got very close to the experimental ones. The results of experimental work support the industrial production of eco-friendly textile process.

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Rawan, S., Zhang, S., Dhavale, A. et al. Optimization of Enzyme-Assisted Ultrasonic Irradiation Silk Degumming Process. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. E 104, 237–250 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40034-023-00275-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40034-023-00275-7

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