Contributor, The Textile Industry and the Environment, UNEP

GLOSSARY
Kier: A piece of equipment in which coHan is boiled with dilute caustic soda to remove impurities
or a pressure vessel used for yarn and fabric dying.
Knitting: Process for making a fabric by interlocking in series the loops of one or more yarns. Types
include: jersey (circular knits), tricots (warp knits), double knits.
Mercerising: A process given to cotton yarns and fabric to increase lustre, improve strength and dye
ability. Treatment consists of impregnating fabrics with cold concentrated caustic soda solution.
Metalised Dye: Two acid dyes (anionic, water-soluble) jo(ned together to make a larger molecule which
has greater light and wet fastness. Used primarily for dyeing nylon and wool where high fastness
is required.
Milling: A shrinking process for wool utilising moisture, heat, friction and pressure. Also known
as felting and fulling.
Napthol: An azo whose colour is formed by coupling with napthol. Used chiefly on cotton.
Nip: A squeeze performed by two rolls under pressure.
Nutrient: Any substance assimilated by an organism which promotes growth and replacement of cellular
constituents.
Nylon: Generic name for "a manufactured fibre in which the fibre forming substance is any long
chain synthetic polyamide in which less than 85070 of the amide in linkages are attached to two aromatic
links".
Package Dyeing: The dyeing of yarns in the form of a package of various kinds and sizes. Packages
wound on to perforated tubes or springs are placed on perforated spindles in a closed vat and the
dye bath is circulated in and out of the package.
Pad: A machine for impregnating fabrics with chemicals. It consists essentially of a trough followed
by two or more pairs of squeeze rolls.
PET: Polyethylene terephthalate (polyester).
pH; Unit used to descri be acidity or alkalinity. pH 7 is neutral; above 7 is alkaline and below 7 is acidic.
Polyester: A manufactured fibre in which the fibre forming substance is any long chain synthetic
polymer composed of at least 85% by weigh! of all. ester of dihydric alcohol and terepthalic acid.
Printiog: Process of producing designs of one or more colours on a fabric. There are several methods,
such as rollers, block, screen, etc. and several colour techniques, such as direct, discharge and resist.
PVA: Polyvinyl Alcohol. Synthetic size used in sizing process in cotton fabric manufacturing.
Rayon: A generic name for man-made monofilament and continuous filaments fibres, made from
regenerated cellulose. Fibres produced by both viscose and cupra-ammonium process are classified
as rayon.
Recuperato(: An enclosed wash box utilising low pressure steam. Most often found on the mercerising
range.
Resin: A chemical finish used to impart a property desired in a fabric, such as water repellency etc.
Retardants; Chemicals applied typically to fabrics or fibres to retard burning etc.
Rope Soaper; A piece of equipment used for scouring fabric to remove impurities, processing oils,
excess dye, etc.
Saturator: A box used to impregnate fabric with chemicals in a continuous range.
Scouring: Removal of foreign components from textiles. Normal scouring materials are alkalis (e.g.
soda ash) or trisodium phosphate, frequently used in the presence of surfaetants. Textiles are sometimes
scoured using solvents.
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