Mercerisation of cotton involves treatment with a caustic solution that causes swelling and deconvolution (untwisting) of the cotton fibre and results in a superior luster, strength and higher affinity for dyes. The use of caustic soda however requires strict controls on handling, recovery and disposal making the mercerisation process expensive and limiting its adoption. A previous investment ha demonstrated that an effect, similar to mercerisation, can be achieved by application of a widely available and safe amino acid.

This investment aims to optimise the parameters for amino acid application to maximise lustre, strength and dye affinity effects, as well as the efficiency of the process.