An Alternative Study for Reducing Silicosis Disease by Performing Denim Bleaching with Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Method

Silicosis disease inevitably continues in people who do denim bleaching with the silica method. Silica powder is used in the classical denim bleaching method. Inhalation of silica as a fine dust can cause one of the most common occupational diseases, silicosis, recently seen in the textile industry among workers using sandblasting to introduce “age” or “wear” patterns onto new denim[1]. In cases of intense or long-term exposure, it may even lead to the contraction of fatal diseases such as silicosis and lung cancer[2]. Plasma treatment is a novel method for textile material modification introduced in the last few decades[3]. In our study, the denim bleaching process was performed only with atmospheric pressure plasma without using any chemicals. Different bleaching patterns were created by controlling the plasma pen with the cnc system. High pressure air was used as discharge gas. The plasma unit has been designed and developed in Plazmatek company. Capacitive electrode design was used for the plasma creating. Low frequency sinusoidal output unit was used as plasma generator. Standard jeans were used in our study. Free radicals formed in the environment during plasma treatment were observed with an optical spectrometer. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of the surface were taken after bleaching.