The future of denim finishing is posed to embrace ozone wash techniques, helping the industry shift toward achieving a vibrant color effect while significantly reducing its environmental footprint. Ozone washing methods, also known as ozone fade or e-flow technology, use ozone gas or ozonized water to fade and bleach denim fabrics, which is more beneficial than traditional washing methods. This is because ozone denim washing has a similar effect on colours as the sun’s rays. And it naturally converts back to oxygen after it is released into the air. Additionally, this technique improves efficiency by decreasing rinsing times and conserving both water and energy, making a smart choice for a sustainable future in denim fashion.
How Ozone Wash works?
Ozone is a strong oxidizing agent commonly used in fabric finishing, especially for bleaching denim. The denim is treated with ozone under atmospheric conditions instead of water and chemicals. In this method, the denim fabric is placed in a closed-loop system where ozone gas breaks down the indigo dye molecule, giving the denim a sustainable worn-out appearance.
During this process, air is first passed into the oxygen generator, where it is converted into oxygen. After that, oxygen atoms are reformed to create ozone, which is released into the tumbler containing denim fabric. Then, the gas reacts with the dye in the denim, breaking it down and resulting in a faded effect. Finally, the gas reverts to oxygen, leaving no toxic residue.
Advantages:
- Ozone treatment uses up to 80% less water than traditional methods and doesn’t require harmful chemicals. It also requires fewer washes, achieving bleaching in about 15 minutes, whereas traditional methods require around 30-45 minutes.
- Unlike traditional bleaching, the treatment keeps the denim strong while fading its color.
- It also disinfects clothes by killing bacteria, viruses, and mold.
- The method allows washing clothes at lower temperatures, which saves energy and also helps fabrics last longer since they aren’t damaged by hot water.
- It prevents clothes from fading or yellowing and helps colors to stay bright.
Ozone fading mainly works with indigo-dyed fabrics but can also be used for other types of fabrics. One key challenge of this method is the high initial cost for laundry facilities to set up ozone systems, including installation and maintenance. However, the technology is still developing and in the long run, these costs can be balanced out by savings in water and energy.