Colour recipe prediction using ant colony algorithm: principle of resolution and analysis of performances

This paper presents a new method for colour recipe prediction using ant colony optimisation. Three reactive dyes, namely CI Reactive Yellow 145, CI Reactive Red 238 and CI Reactive Blue 235, were used for colour formulation. Samples of 100% cotton fabrics were used for dyeing. The objective was to assure, control and optimise the colour formulation step by determining the dyes to be applied and their respective concentrations to reproduce the desired shades. The criterion of optimisation is to minimise the colour differences [Colour Measurement Committee (2:1)] between the target colour and the colour obtained by the proposed recipe. Errors between the proposed recipe and actual concentrations are also evaluated. The developed algorithm showed good performances with small colour differences between the target and reproduced colours (all lower than 0.7).     

Modification of silk with aminated polyepichlorohydrin to improve dyeability with reactive dyes

Reactive dyes have almost complete exhaustion and ideal fixation on aminated polyepichlorohydrin pretreated silk without addition of salt or alkali. The effects of varying pretreatments and dyeing conditions were studied. The dyeing behaviour of CI Reactive Red 15 on modified silk under pH 6 was investigated. Dyeings of modified silk showed good wash fastness, dry and wet rub fastnesses as well as light fastness. The quality of the dyed silks obtained after pretreatment was shown to be satisfactory and the dyeing effluent was less polluted.     

Cathodic decolourisation of textile waste water containing reactive dyes using a multi‐cathode electrolyser

The reductive decolourisation of textile dyestuffs containing an azo group was investigated by direct cathodic electron transfer CI Acid Red 27 and CI Acid Yellow 9 were used as model compounds for azo dyes. Reactive dyes, eg CI Reactive Red 4, CI Reactive Orange 4, and CI Reactive Black 5, which are in technical use for cellulose dyeing were investigated as representatives of practical importance. A basic characterisation of the reduction–decolourisation behaviour of the dyes was achieved by redox titration with Fe(II)–triethanolamine as reducing agent and parallel spectrophotometric observation of changes in the chromogenic system. From the redox titration experiments basic data describing the experimental conditions for successful cathodic electron transfer can be derived. The electrochemical dyestuff reduction experiments were performed in batch trials using a multi‐cathode electrolyser with high cathode area. According to the typical composition of such dyebaths 0.12 mol dm^?3 NaOH was used as ground electrolyte. The absorbance of the investigated dyestuff solutions could be decreased to below 20% of the initial value. For a 50% decrease in absorbance, electrical energy of about 6 kWh m^?3 is consumed. The process is of particular interest for the treatment of concentrated dyestuff solutions as they are used in continuous dyeing processes. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Influence of liquor ratio and amount of dyestuff in producing ultradeep black dyeing using mercerised and cationised cotton

Cationised cotton allows the dyeing of cotton fabrics without salt and up to 100% anionic dye utilisation. The employment of cationised cotton in the dyeing of high depths of shades with reactive dyes holds marked potential for sustainable improvements through less dye consumption, decreased water usage, and zero salt utilisation, all while obtaining shade depths darker than possible with conventional reactive dyeings. This work builds upon previous work in obtaining ultradeep dyeings of cotton utilising cationised and mercerised cotton by investigating the effects of liquor ratio in dyeing and amount of dye applied. Surprisingly, for mercerised only cotton fabric, it was found that nearly equivalent depths of shade, as indicated by L*, were obtained, irrespective of the liquor ratio and the amount of CI Reactive Black 5 applied from 7% to 10% owf. However, the strengths of the dyeings, indicated by the K/S sum, show slight increases with increasing amounts of dye, but not when the liquor ratio is lowered. Similarly, for mercerised‐cationised cotton, the liquor ratio had a negligible effect on the depth of shade obtained, but increasing the amount of CI Reactive Black 5 resulted in an increase in shade depth and colour strength. Very deep shades with high colour strength were obtained with mercerised‐cationised cotton that were not obtainable with uncationised cotton, even at a very low liquor ratio and with a drastic increase in the amount of CI Reactive Black 5.     

One‐bath union dyeing of a modified wool/acrylic blend with acid and reactive dyes

Pretreated wool/acrylic fibre was obtained by a facile amidoximation process. Fibre characterisation (nitrogen content, tensile strength, shrinkage, infrared spectra and X‐ray diffraction) proved the success of the pretreatment. Union dyeing of wool/acrylic fabrics with acid and reactive dyes, namely CI Acid Red 40, CI Acid Blue 25, CI Reactive Red 194 and CI Reactive Blue 25, was obtained using a one‐bath dyeing process. Different factors that may affect the dyeability of the blend fibre, such as dyebath pH, liquor ratio, temperature, time and dye concentration, were evaluated with respect to the dye exhaustion, fixation, colour strength, levelling and fastness properties. Excellent to good fastness was obtained for all samples, irrespective of the dye used. The result of the investigation offers a new viable method for union dyeing of wool/acrylic fibres in a one‐dyebath process.     

Application of polycarboxylic acid sodium salt in the dyeing of cotton fabric with reactive dyes

In this study, the effects of polycarboxylic acid sodium salt on the dyeing of cotton with reactive dyes were evaluated by measuring and comparing the K/S values and dyeing fastnesses of the dyed cotton fabric samples. Results showed that the K/S value and dyeing fastness of cotton fabrics dyed with polycarboxylic acid sodium salt, substituting inorganic salts as exhausting agent were close to that of with sodium chloride when dip‐dyeing process was used. While, in pad‐dry dyeing, the K/S value of cotton fabric samples dyed with polyacid salts as exhausting agent was higher than that of with sodium sulfate, and the dyeing fastnesses of these samples were nearly the same. The dyeing mechanism of cotton fabric with reactive dye, using polycarboxylic acid sodium salt as exhausting agent was analyzed. The dyeing exhausting mechanism of reactive dye seems different when the inorganic salt and polycarboxylic acid sodium salt were used as exhausting agent in the dyeing of cotton fabric with reactive dye. The polycarboxylic acid sodium salt, as weak electrolyte, increased the dye‐uptake of reactive dye on cotton fabric not only by screening negative charges on cotton surface, but also by the effect of salting‐out or hydrophobic combination. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Adsorption and fixation behaviour of CI Reactive Red 195 on cotton woven fabric in a nonionic surfactant Triton X‐100 reverse micelle

To achieve the goals of saving water and being salt‐free in the coloration of cotton fabric with reactive dye, nonionic reverse micelles were prepared and optimised with a surfactant, Triton X‐100, n‐octanol and isooctane by injecting a small amount of CI Reactive Red 195 aqueous solution. The adsorption, diffusion and fixation of this dye on cotton fabric in Triton X‐100 reverse micelle and bulk water were then investigated. The equilibrium and kinetic data of the dye adsorption process were evaluated. The colour strength and fixation rate of cotton fabrics dyed in the micelle and in bulk water were also examined and compared. The results indicated that the amount of dye adsorbed increased with the increasing temperature and the initial dye concentration. The dye adsorption process could be described using the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo‐second‐order kinetic equations. It was found that CI Reactive Red 195 showed a stronger adsorption property on cotton fabric in Triton X‐100 reverse micelle than in bulk water without the addition of sodium chloride. Using Triton X‐100 reverse micelle as the dyeing medium offered the reactive dye better diffusion performance within the cotton fibre as compared with bulk water. Moreover, higher fixation of the dyes absorbed on the cotton fibre was achieved when the optimum concentration of sodium carbonate was used as the alkali agent in Triton X‐100 reverse micelle.     

Novel hydrolysable azo disperse dyes based on N‐ester‐1,8‐naphthalimide: dyeing of polyester–cotton blends

The dyeing of polyester–cotton blends with new alkali‐hydrolysable azo disperse dyes based on N‐ester‐1,8‐naphthalimide was investigated. Polyester–cotton blend fabrics were dyed using both one‐ and two‐bath methods. Dyes 3 and 4 offered lower colour yield on polyester using the one‐bath method. For the rest of the dyes, employing either the one‐ or two‐bath method resulted in a similar colour yield on polyester fabric. The results for fastness properties and colour yield of the dyeings showed that the dyes were suitable for dyeing polyester–cotton blends using the one‐bath method. The kinetic study of hydrolysis of the dyes in alkali media obeyed the pseudo first‐order reaction rate.     

Reactive dyeing of cellulosic fibers: Use of cationic surfactants and their interaction with reactive dyes

Cotton fabrics were dyed with three reactive dyes, C.I Reactive Blue 263, C.I Reactive Red 269, and C.I Reactive Yellow 208, after pretreatment of the fabrics with three alkyl trimethyl‐ammonium bromides (tmabs) having 12, 14, and 16 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain. The pretreated samples were dyed with standard dyeing methods using conventional, reduced amounts of electrolyte, and no electrolyte. Pretreatment with the three cationics (tmabs) resulted in an increase in dye exhaustion with all dyes used, whereas total dye fixation was lower for both red and blue dye and equal for the yellow, when compared to the reference untreated samples dyed according to the same standard dyeing method. The interaction between dodecyl trimethyl‐ammonium bromide and the three dyes was studied and the stoichiometry of the various dye/dodecyl trimethyl‐ammonium bromide (12‐tmab) complexes formed has been deduced. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Fixation of reactive dyes using radio-frequency energy

Radio-frequency (r.f.) energy has been used to increase the fixation rate of reactive dyes on cotton fabric in pad-batch dyeing. A parallel-plate r.f. applicator was used to heat batches of fabric containing reactive dye formulations. The time required for fixation of the dyes was reduced from several hours to a few minutes by heating the fabric in the radio-frequency field. Reactive dyes incorporating three different types of reactive groups, vinylsulphone, nicotinic acid, and mixed vinylsulphone/ monochlorotriazine were studied and found to be applicable using the hot pad-batch method. The colour yield and wash fastness of dyeings with the vinylsulphone/monochlorotriazine bifunctional dyes using r.f.-assisted fixation was equal or superior to those of dyeings performed by conventional cold pad-batch dyeing methods.     

One‐step dyeing of polyethylene terephthalate fabric,combining pretreatment and dyeing using alkali‐stable disperse dyes

In the conventional dyeing process, polyester and its blended fabrics are usually dyed in a weak acidic medium. In order to reduce cost and improve production efficiency, a new dyeing method – one‐step dyeing of polyethylene terephthalate fabrics, combining pretreatment and dyeing in alkali conditions – was investigated. The alkali‐stable disperse dyes Red 900, Red 902, Yellow BROB and Blue 825 were used to dye polyethylene terephthalate fabrics. The dyeing properties of polyethylene terephthalate fabrics in the case of one‐step dyeing at various pH values or sodium hydroxide concentrations were discussed in terms of colour yield, colour parameters and fastness. The performance of one‐step dyeing using alkali‐stable disperse dyes was excellent. The dyed fabric had good fastness. Wet processing could be combined and shortened. One‐step dyeing of polyethylene terephthalate fabrics could reduce the consumption of water and energy and improve production efficiency. One‐step dyeing of polyethylene terephthalate has potential application in cleaner textile production.     

Synthesis and application of a novel,triphendioxazine‐based,phosphorus‐containing acid dye for wool

A novel phosphorus‐containing acid dye based on triphendioxazine was designed and synthesised from diphenylamine through a series of reactions. The dye has a navy‐blue colour, high molar extinction coefficient of 5.32 × 10⁴ l/mol·cm, and high substantivity for dyeing wool in a salt‐free, aqueous dyebath. A high exhaustion value of 98.2% on wool fabrics was recorded at 3% omf and a liquor ratio of 1:20. The wash fastness values of the acid dye, including colour change and staining on cotton and wool, were grades 5, 4 and 4–5, respectively. The dry and wet fastness are grades 4–5 and 4, respectively. In addition, light fastness reaches grades 6–7 at 3% omf dye concentration. These dye properties are better than those of commercial triphendioxazine dyes, for example, CI Direct Blue 106 and CI Reactive Blue 198, under analogous dyeing conditions.     

Pretreatment of cotton fabrics with polyamino carboxylic acids for salt‐free dyeing of cotton with reactive dyes

In this study, polyamino carboxylic acids have been used to improve the dyeability of cotton in a salt‐free reactive dyeing process. These polyamino carboxylic acids were prepared by partial carboxylation of polyvinylamine. Cotton fabric was pretreated with polyamino carboxylic acids and dyed with reactive dyes. The colour strengths of the dyed fabrics were evaluated by measuring the K/S values. The fastness properties (washing, rubbing and light fastness) of the dyed cotton fabrics were also measured. The pretreatment of cotton with polyamino carboxylic acids creates positive charges on the fabric surface. In this way, salt‐free reactive dyeing of cotton or dyeing with only a small amount of electrolyte is possible.     

Dyeing and fastness properties of phthalimide‐based alkali‐clearable azo disperse dyes on poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The properties of a series of phthalimide‐containing azo disperse dyes and azo dyes with N‐methyl phthalimide moieties in their diazo component were investigated and compared when used to colour polyethylene terephthalate. The N‐substitution of the phthalimide gave a hypsochromic effect on the colour change and better colour yields on poly(ethylene terephthalate) fabrics, probably because of the electron‐donating property of the methyl group and the higher hydrophobicity of phthalimide‐containing azo dyes compared with those containing phthalimide moieties. The results show that phthalimide‐based azo disperse dyes have excellent dyeing fastness properties and that high wash fastness can be achieved using alkali clearance. This alternative clearance method is important for reducing the environmental impact of the dyeing process by replacing reductive clearing and, in particular, by removing the need for sodium hydrosulphite, which creates a high biological oxygen demand when released in conventional disperse dyeing effluent and which generates aromatic amines.     

Application of genetic algorithm to color recipe formulation using reactive and direct dyestuffs mixtures

Color reproduction is a science in constant development. In this article, a new model to solve the color recipe prediction problem using a genetic algorithm is proposed. The objective is to optimize the color recipe prediction stage by determining the dyes to use in a mixture and their respective proportions to reproduce the target color. Two ranges of dyes were used for dyeing 100% cotton woven fabrics: three reactive dyes (CI Reactive Red 238, CI Reactive Yellow 145, and CI Reactive Blue 235) and four direct dyes (CI Direct Orange 34, CI Direct Red 227, CI Direct Blue 85, and CI Direct Black 22). The criterion of optimization, in reproducing the desired shades, is to minimize the CMC color difference between the desired reference color and the color resulting of the predicted recipe. The proposed algorithm revealed good results with small CMC color differences between target and reproduced colors. The effectiveness of the algorithm was also evaluated and proven by calculating errors between the predicted concentrations in the proposed recipes and the actual concentrations.     

Dyeing properties of novel electrolyte‐free reactive dyes on cotton fibre

A series of electrolyte‐free reactive dyes containing two quaternary ammonium salt groups as soluble moieties and one epoxy structure as the reactive group have been synthesised. The structures of the synthesised dyes were confirmed by Fourier Transform–infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance and elemental analysis, and their dyeing properties on cotton were studied using an electrolyte‐free dyeing process. The results indicate that electrolyte‐free reactive dyes with these structures give a high exhaustion rate, a high fixation rate and good build‐up properties on cotton. Fastness properties were, in general, also very good. The optimal dyeing process of these electrolyte‐free dyes for cotton fibre was 60 °C with 20 g/l sodium carbonate.     

Pretreatment of cotton with poly(vinylamine chloride) for salt-free dyeing with reactive dyes

Poly(vinylamine chloride) has been investigated as a pretreatment for the salt-free dyeing of cotton with reactive dyes. Dye fixation was found to be much higher than by conventional dyeing without pretreatment, even in the presence of a large amount of salt. The influence of pretreatment conditions on dye fixation, such as pad–bake variables and the concentration of poly(vinylamine chloride), has been studied. The dyeing behaviour of CI Reactive Red 2 on pretreated cotton was examined and found to follow a Langmuir-type adsorption curve. Dyed cotton pretreated with poly(vinylamine chloride) showed excellent wash fastness and good rub fastness. It is concluded that poly(vinylamine chloride) is effective as a pretreatment for salt-free dyeing with reactive dyes.     

Effect of the bio-salt trisodium citrate in the dyeing of cotton

Sodium chloride and trisodium citrate have been studied as exhausting agents for dyeing bleached cotton fabrics with reactive, direct and solubilised vat dyes. The effect of dye concentration, exhausting agent concentration, dyeing time and temperature were studied and the resulting shades obtained by dyeing with trisodium citrate and sodium chloride were compared. Dye uptake values were estimated and found to be higher for trisodium citrate than for sodium chloride. The total dissolved solids content of the spent liquors was lower with trisodium citrate than with sodium chloride.     

Adsorption of a spent reactive dyebath by a chitosan bed: study of water reuse,bed regeneration,and UV/Fenton oxidation

In the present paper, a facile process combining chitosan bed adsorption and the UV/Fenton advanced oxidation process for treatment and reuse of spent reactive dyebath waste has been developed. The chitosan bed was very effective in decolouring spent reactive dyebath waste by adsorption enrichment of CI Reactive Red 195, and the water and sodium sulphate therein could easily permeate through the chitosan bed and then be recycled. Although the resulting recycled dyebaths were used 10 times as reconstituted dyebaths for dyeing with CI Reactive Red 195, the colour difference and the relative unlevelness index changes of the dyed samples still remained within acceptable levels. That was also true for CI Reactive Blue 19 in the 11th recycling cycle. As a result, an average saving of 60.4% and 93.4% for water and sodium sulphate, respectively, was achieved with the reuse process for the 11 dyebaths. The exhausted chitosan bed can be regenerated three times by dilute alkali without any significant sacrifice of adsorbability or mass. Emissions of the elution concentrates generated from three regeneration runs of the chitosan bed and then treated by UV/Fenton oxidation were found to meet the most stringent emission standards for both chemical oxygen demand and colour in China. Results reveal that the process combining chitosan bed adsorption and UV/Fenton advanced oxidation is promising for treatment and reuse of spent reactive dyebath waste, which can potentially benefit the environment and reduce operating costs.     

A study on the spectral changes of reactive textile dyes and their implications for online control of dyeing processes

Evidence is presented that confirms the colour changes of a widely used trichromatic mixture of bifunctional reactive dyes (Levafix CA) under alkaline conditions, showing that they occur slowly and throughout the dyeing time, and not instantly after alkali addition to the dyebath. Thus, it is impossible to determine the specific absorptivity of the dyes at each moment of the dyeing process. An investigation into the relationship of the type of reactive group to the dye and the visible spectral changes over time was undertaken. Model reactive dyes were studied. The samples collected from the simulated dyebaths were monitored online using an automated system and their absorption on the whole of the visible spectrum was measured. The studies of dyes that included halo‐s‐triazinyl groups revealed the existence of hypochromic shifts in the spectra of the dyes in the presence of an electrolyte (sodium chloride or sodium sulphate) and bathochromic and hyperchromic shifts, when evaluated in the presence of alkaline agents. However, the vinylsulphonyl derivatives present a more stable spectral profile. The use of buffer solution at pH 5 was an efficient method to stabilise the absorption profile of Levafix CA trichromatic samples.