The degreasing principle of textile degreasing agents: Degreasing agents, also known as oil removers or grease removers, are used in many industries, including metal cleaning. However, these degreasing agents are completely different from those used in the textile industry. The former removes oil stains and grease from metal surfaces processed during manufacturing, but these oil stains only adhere to the metal surface. In contrast, textile degreasing agents are primarily used to remove oil stains left from the spinning and weaving processes of synthetic fibers, which have already been woven into fabrics. Therefore, they must have good penetration and not damage the fabric. Different industries have different applications and requirements for degreasing agents, resulting in completely different compositions.
The degreasing principle of degreasing agents is the combined effect of surfactants and detergent builders, namely wetting, penetration, emulsification, dispersion, and washing. Degreasing agents utilize the additive and synergistic effects of the hydrophilic and lipophilic groups in various surfactants to obtain a suitable HLB value (Hydrophile-Lipophilic Balance number). When the degreaser adsorbs at the interface between the solution and the oil stain, the hydrophilic groups of the degreaser point towards the solution, while the lipophilic groups point towards the oil stain (on the fabric), aligning in a specific direction. This significantly reduces the surface tension at the oil-liquid interface. With the aid of machine agitation, the oil stain remaining on the fabric loosens and disperses into tiny oil droplets, detaching from the fabric surface. The surfactant and detergent then further enhance the effect through emulsification and dispersion, preventing the oil droplets from merging or re-adhering to the fabric surface, thus achieving the goal of removing the oil stain.
