Polyester fiber dyeing processes and compositions thereof

1 . A process of dyeing a polyester fiber, comprising:

feeding a plurality of dried polyester pellets and superior deep dye (SDD) additive into a screw extruder;

mixing polyester pellets and SDD additive via screw configuration of the screw extruder;

removing the volatiles via connected vacuum pump to the screw extruder;

passing molten polyester pellets and SDD through a die to produce strands;

pelletizing, crystallizing, drying the pellets to produce a concentrate;

spinning blends of the concentrate and virgin polyester resin into a fiber;

selectively applying one or more colors of dye at about 100° F.;

adjusting the pH of the dye bath between 4-7;

applying the stream for about 10 minutes at about 210° F.;

rinsing the polyester fiber;

applying after treatment;

applying the stream for about 3 minutes at about 210° F.; and

rinsing and drying the dyed polyester fiber.

2 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the screw extruder is a twin-screw or a single-screw extruder.

3 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the polyester pellets are dried overnight at 275° F. using desiccated air having a dew point of −40° C.

4 . The process of claim 1 , wherein SDD is fed through a calibrated flow meter, through a positive displacement pump or combinations thereof.

5 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the SDD is selected from the group consisting of modified terphenyls, mixtures of synthetic aromatics, terphenyl/quaterphenyl, biphenyl/diphenyl oxide (DPO) eutectic mixture, and phenylcyclohexane plus bicyclohexyl mixture and mixtures thereof.

6 . The process of claim 1 , wherein two or more SDDs are present.

7 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the temperature ranges from about −50° C. to about 350° C.

8 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the % of SDD varies from about 0.01% to about 1.0%.

9 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the polyesters are selected from the group consisting of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT), poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN), linear polyesters, cross-linked polyesters, bio-based polyesters and combinations thereof.

10 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the yellow component comprises one or more of a dye selected from the group consisting of C.I. Disperse Yellow 54, C.I. Disperse Yellow 64, C.I. Disperse Yellow 114, C.I. Disperse Yellow 211, or any C.I. Disperse Yellow dye and mixtures thereof.

11 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the red component comprises one or more of a dye selected from the group consisting of C.I. Disperse Red 50, C.I. Disperse Red 60, C.I. Disperse Red 73, C.I. Disperse Red 82, C.I. Disperse Red 167, C.I. Disperse Red 324, C.I. Disperse Red 356, C.I. Disperse Red 376, C.I. Disperse Red 382, C.I. Disperse Red 383, or any C.I. Disperse Red dye and mixtures thereof.

12 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the blue component comprises one or more of a dye selected from the group consisting of C.I. Disperse Blue 56, C.I. Disperse Blue 60, C.I. Disperse Blue 77, C.I. Disperse Blue 79:1, C.I. Disperse Blue 93:1, C.I. Disperse Blue 165, C.I. Disperse Blue 284, C.I. Disperse Blue 291, C.I. Disperse Blue 354 or any C.I. Disperse Blue dye and mixtures thereof.

13 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the melting point of the polyester fiber is reduced by about 0° C. to about 20° C.

14 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the % of crystallinity of the polyester fiber is reduced from about 0% to about 10%.

15 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the dye pick-up on the polyester fiber is increased from about 80% to about 100%.

16 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the dye bath comprises one or more additives selected from the group consisting of a wetting agent, a leveling agent, a buffering agent, a pH adjusting agent, a light fastness enhancing agent, an antimicrobial agent, a water treatment agent and a combination thereof.

17 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the process produces a pattern selected from the group consisting of a random dye pattern, a non-repeatable dye pattern, a variable dye pattern, a dye pattern having a visual effect of blending of multiple sequential shades of the dye formulation and any combinations thereof.

18 . A method of providing a polyester fiber, the method comprising:

a. forming a mixture comprising a polyester and a superior deep dye additive; and

b. extruding the mixture into a fiber, wherein the fiber has a lowered melting point and an enhanced dye retention in comparison to virgin polyester fibers without the superior deep dye additive.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the superior deep dye additive is selected from a group consisting of modified terphenyls, synthetic aromatics, terphenyl, quaterphenyl, biphenyl, diphenyl oxide, a biphenyl-diphenyl oxide (DPO) eutectic mixture, phenylcyclohexane, bicyclohexyl, and any combinations thereof.

20 . A method of providing a pellet, the pellet comprising an elevated concentration of an additive, the method comprising:

a. forming a mixture comprising a polymeric material and a superior deep dye additive;

b. extruding the mixture into a fiber; and

c. pelletizing the fiber to form pellets comprising the elevated concentration of the additive, wherein the pellets are configured to reduce melting points and enhance dye retention of a desired fiber when added to virgin polyester.