The aim of this research was to improve the durable press finish process on cotton fabric with non-formaldehyde finishing agents. The mercerization of cotton fabric was carried out by 30 Be’ NoOH at 20 C before finishing. The mercerized fabric was finished by padding in the mixture of 4% (w/v) BTCA 0.4% (w/v) chitosam and 6% (w/v) sodium hypophosphite then dried at 85 C for 5 min. The treated fabric was cured at 180 C for 3 min. The finished fabric showed wrinkle recovery angle at 262  tensile strength at 281 N and elongation at break at 34.8 mm. The result showed that the combination of mercerization process and chitosan supported the crosslinking of BTCA on cotton fabric and reduced the loss of tensile strength of finished fabric.

In the current practice cotton fabric is predominantly dyed with direct dyes in the presence of a considerable amount of electrolyte (Salt) to reduce negative charge on fiber surface. Thus the high concentration (40-100 g/l) of electrolyte required in cotton fabric dyeing may pose additional effluent problem and waste water treatment costs. The use of polycationic agent to modify the dyeing behaviour of direct dyes on cotton fabric is investigated. Normally polycationic agent had been treated on dyed fabric to improve fastness properties. The comparison of untreated and pretreated cotton fabric was found that the polycationic agent offers the potential for different dyeing patterning possibilities. The dyes was fixed on the fiber by ionic force. So color strength and exhaustion of pretreated fabric was better than untreated fabric and increased in fastness properties even when dyeing had been carried out in the absence of electrolyte. The purpose of the present work was to determine whether the pretreatment of cotton fabric with polycationic agent could enhance the dyeability of the fiber with direct dyes under appropriate condition such as assuming a positive charge on fiber which permitted “electrolyte-free” dyeing after modification without drain and helped reduce dyeing cost.