Establishment of an effective activated peroxide system for low-temperature cotton bleaching using synthesized tetramido macrocyclic iron complex

In this study, the tetramido macrocyclic iron complex (Fe-TAML) was successfully synthesized, and then it was characterized using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (EIS-MS) and elemental analysis. An activated peroxide system was established for low-temperature bleaching of cotton by combining the synthesized catalyst (Fe-TAML) with hydrogen peroxide. Experimental results showed that the Fe-TAML/H2O2 bleaching system exhibited effective bleaching performance in the use of 2 μM Fe-TAML, 20 g/l H2O2, 1 g/l NaHCO3, 2 g/l scouring agent and 2 g/l wetting agent at 60 °C for 60 min. In comparison with the conventional bleaching system, the Fe-TAML/H2O2 system provided bleached cotton with a superior degree of whiteness, higher tensile strength and acceptable water absorbency. The application of Fe-TAML was expanded and the activated peroxide system may provide a green approach for the cotton bleaching.