Polyester/cotton fabric which had been dyed with disperse and reactive dyes can be washed-off using
two, novel processes that employ nylon beads. The bead wash-off processes furnished dyeings that were
of similar colour strength and colour to those which had been reduction cleared in the case of disperse
dyeings and washed-off using a conventional process for reactive dyeings. Fastness to washing at 60 C of
dyeings which had been bead washed-off was at least as good as that of dyeings which had been
reduction cleared and conventionally washed-off. The bead wash-off processes enabled reductions of
w70% in both the amounts of energy and water consumed during wash-off. Whereas the conventional
wash-off of polyester/cotton fabric generated large volumes of effluent that contained various chemicals,
the comparatively small amount of wastewater generated by bead wash-off contained no such chemicals.
In addition, bead wash-off avoided the environmentally unacceptable generation of aromatic amines in
the case of the reduction clearing of azo dyes. The beads absorbed vagrant dye molecules, potentially
enabling a major reduction to be achieved in terms of the BOD, COD and TOC which can be generated
during conventional wash-off procedures for dyed polyester/cotton.