Green Strategy for Production of Antimicrobial Textiles

Background Of Textile Industries

Textile industry continuously searches for new technologies in order to accomplish the consumer's demands. Especially in recent years, new developments allowed the production of functional and smart textiles which are capable of sensing changes in environmental conditions or body functions and responding to these changes. Likewise, consumers’ attitude towards hygiene and active lifestyle has created a rapidly increasing market for a wide range of textile products finished with antimicrobial properties, which in turn has stimulated intensive research and development. As a consequence, the number of biofunctional textiles with an antimicrobial activity has increased considerably over the last few years (Haug et al., 2006). Application is nowadays extended to underwear, sportswear, home furnishing and protective clothing in areas with high risk of infection by pathogens (hospitals, schools and hotels); and because they are able to absorb substances from the skin and can release therapeutic compounds to the skin, they find applications for prevention, as surgical lab coats, or therapy, as wound dressings (Goodarzian & Ekrami, 2010). Thus, biomedical products will perhaps be the largest application of antimicrobial textiles. Microorganisms and textiles are an excellent substrate for bacterial growth and microbial proliferation under appropriate moisture, nutrients and temperature conditions. In a clinical setting, they can be an important source of bacteria that may contaminate the patients and clinician personnel (Ali & El-Mohamedy, 2011).