Analysis of industrial needs and selection of targets.

Understanding the needs

During the first year of the project, the colour industry’s needs were carefully analysed: market research, legislative context, industrial methods used, chemical composition of dyes and industrial effluents.

The objective was to create a common understanding between science and the market.

This work led SOPHIED’s partners to build the tools needed for their research (e.g. the composition of a model industrial effluent used during the initial research) and identify the dyes that would be the most interesting to develop for the textile, cosmetics, and leather industries.

The dyes studied were chosen after a market study

1. The dyes most produced in the world are:

Acid (15%), Direct (9%), Reactive (19%), Dispersed (22%)

2. The dyes produced most in Western Europe are:

Acid (30%), Direct (12%), Reactive (22%), Dispersed (27%)

3. The dyes most used for colouring textiles are:

Acid (13%), Direct (8%), Reactive (32%), Dispersed (25%)

4. The colouring process that creates the most effluent is the exhaustion method. This method is used with the dyes:

Acid, Direct, Reactive , Dispersed, Basic, Vat

5. The dyes that are the most soluble and the most difficult to treat by classic treatment methods are:

Acid, Direct, Reactive, Sulphur