Review of foam applications on cotton textiles

The wet processing sector in the textile industry consumes a massive amount of water and energy. In addition, the textile industry generates significant amounts of effluents. Consumer awareness, environmental laws and regulations, water scarcity, and high energy costs have forced textile manufacturers to reduce their water and energy usage. An alternative way to minimize water and energy consumption in textile industries is to alter the chemical finishing processes from conventional water-assisted systems to foam-assisted systems. This review focuses on the prospects of foam application in textile dyeing and finishing. Here, we summarize the foam application methods on cotton textiles from published peer-reviewed sources. We also analyze and compare the results of the dyeing and finishing parameters of the foam application approach over conventional padding methods. Finally, we propose some suggestions for further research on foam technology for textiles.