Research Affiliate Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States
Abstract: Biodiesel production through transesterification of oils produces ~10% by weight of crude glycerol as a substantial co-product, triggering a worldwide effort to valorize crude glycerol. Concurrently, the chemically inert nature of para-aramid fibers makes them difficult to dye or durably print by conventional dyeing techniques for textiles, limiting the practical applications of para-aramid textiles as protective outerwear. This research explored the new uses of glycerol and oils to enhance the dyeing of para-aramids, including using glycerol as an alternative dispersing agent to ethanol for disperse dyes that eliminates the need for auxiliary additives, and the nonthermal-plasma induced co-polymerization of glycerol and oils to modify the surface of para-aramid textile for enhanced dyeing.
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