Metal mordanting in dyeing with natural colourants

Metal mordanting, or the application of metal salts, is a common method of improving the light fastness in dyeing with natural colourants. This review presents the results from a survey of the literature on metal mordanting to assess what levels of correlation exist between mordant‐induced effects (changes in colour and colour depth) and the changes in light fastness, what is known about the mechanisms of mordant‐induced improvements of light fastness, and how the salt levels used in coloration processes compare with the limits on metal levels in wastewater and on the dyed substrates. No strong interrelationships are found between the mordant‐induced effects and light fastness improvements. Knowledge about mechanisms of mordant effect on light fastness appears, in large part, to be derived from empirical correlations. However, as light fastness is affected by a multitude of factors, the correlations do not always hold true. It is found that residual metal contents in spent dye/mordanting liquors are generally not reported. However, with rough calculations, it is estimated that, with even the lowest reported salt concentrations, the metal contents in spent liquors exceed environmental release limits. The metal contents on dyed substrates are also not generally reported, but similar estimations show that the contents of heavy metal on dyed substrates (when copper and chromium salts are used as mordants) also exceed limits. On the basis of these observations, the authors make suggestions for elements to be included in investigations on furthering the use of natural colourants in textile dyeing.     

An alternative natural dye,almond shell waste: effects of plasma and mordants on dyeing properties

In this study, the effect of the plasma process and the possibility of replacing metallic mordants with plasma treatment were investigated in natural dyeing with almond shell waste as a novel natural colorant. The use of a smaller amount of metallic mordants and plant than most of the current natural dye applications is a major advantage of dyeing with almond shell extract. Plasma‐treated and untreated wool fabrics were dyed without mordant and using a smaller amount (0.2 g/l) of alum, iron(ii ) sulfate and copper(ii ) sulfate. Three mordanting methods, namely premordanting, simultaneous mordanting and post‐mordanting, were applied. Colour measurements and light and wash fastness values were compared. Significant colour differences were observed among the mordanting methods. Simultaneous mordanting resulted in the lightest colours with all the mordants. Generally, post‐mordanting produced duller colours and lower a* and b* values than premordanting. The plasma process generated significant colour value differences and colour yield increases, giving more homogeneous dyeing visually, and also ensured a greater impact of mordanting. However, compared with metallic mordants, plasma itself did not create completely different colour shades and fastness improvement. It was necessary to use mordants in order to achieve increased fastness properties (especially light fastness) and a different colour gamut.     

Application of rare earth as mordant for the dyeing of ramie fabrics with natural dyes

Selecting appropriate metallic compounds as mordants is essential for dyeing with natural dyes. This paper presents the application of rare earth compounds as mordant for the dyeing of ramie fabrics with four kinds of natural dyes. The influences of pre-mordanting, simultaneous mordanting, and post-mordanting on the dyeing effect were explored. The post-mordanting was proved to give rise to the highest dye uptake. The effects of dyeing conditions including dyeing temperature and time, dyeing bath pH and the concentration of rare earth on the dye uptake were investigated systematically. The fabrics dyed with natural dyes in presence of rare earth as mordant exhibited high color shade stability in the baths with pH varying from being acidic to neutral and alkaline. Employing rare earth as mordant apparently raised the color fastness to washing, rubbing and light of the ramie fabrics dyed with the natural extracts. In comparison with the commonly used metallic salts, using rare earth chlorides as mordants can greatly reduce the ionic concentration employed in natural dyeing. This study proved that rare earth would be a kind or promising environmentally friendly mordant in natural dyeing.     

Polydopamine‐coated silk yarn for improving the light fastness of natural dyes

One of the problems occasionally associated with the use of natural dyes in the dyeing of silk is the susceptibility of the dyed yarn to fading in light. While a number of approaches have been used to address this problem, the use of polydopamine (PDA), a known agent with photo‐protective properties, has not been assessed previously. In this study, silk was pretreated with nano‐particulate PDA formed in situ by oxidation of a dopamine solution, then dyed with lac dye or annatto dye as model natural dyes. Photofading rates were significantly reduced in the case of annatto‐dyed, PDA‐coated silk relative to uncoated silk, while wash fastness was unaffected and remained only moderately good. In contrast, no significant change was seen in photofading rates with treated or untreated lac‐dyed silk, and wash fastness was also unaffected. The PDA did not adversely affect resultant colour values if the concentration of the dopamine precursor was kept low. When this was done, acceptable colours were obtained in the dyed silk. Further investigation is warranted of PDA as a photofading protectant and mordant with other natural dyes on silk and other fibres.     

Pomegranate fallen leaves as a source of natural dye for mordant-free dyeing of wool

The application of metal mordants is usually necessary in dyeing of wool with natural dyes to improve the dye exhaustion and fastness properties. The majority of metal salts generally used as mordants are considered as toxic and it is important to find replacements for them. Plant sources with high content of tannins are good candidates as bio-mordant or colourant to overcome this drawback. In this study, the waste fallen leaves of pomegranate tree were used as a source of natural dye for the eco-friendly dyeing of wool fabric without the use of metal mordants. The dyeing process variables including dye concentration, dyebath pH, and temperature were optimised using response surface methodology to obtain the highest colour strength. The colour strength was increased by increasing the natural dye powder up to 100%owf while the optimum pH and dyebath temperature were 4 and 100°C, respectively. The sample dyed under the optimal condition exhibited good fastness properties against washing and light. This study approved the potential of Punica granatum fallen leaves for the dyeing of wool without any mordant, while high fastness properties were obtained.     

A route from olive oil production to natural dyeing: valorisation of prina (crude olive cake) as a novel dye source

An attempt has been made to valorise an agroindustrial solid waste in natural textile dyeing as a novel dye source. The dyeing and fastness properties of prina (crude olive cake/pomace) extract were evaluated to fill the gap in this field. This very cheap biomass was utilised (80 g/l) by applying chemical solvent‐free aqueous extraction to dye wool fabric with only small amounts (0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 g/l) of metallic mordants, namely alum, iron(II) sulfate, copper(II) sulfate, stannous chloride, and potassium dichromate, and avoiding the use of alkali, acid, chemicals, and auxiliaries in dyeing and washing processes. Colour shades of beige, cream, sandy, apricot, straw, cumin, mustard, olive, and khaki were obtained. Significant differences in colour strength and CIELab coordinates were observed, depending on mordant type and mordanting method. Copper(II) sulfate and iron(II) sulfate ensured the most significant colour changes and nuances, the darkest colours, and the best light fastness values. Prina extract itself (without mordant) has a light fastness of 3 (fair) and excellent wash fastness of 4–5, both for colour change and bleeding. Irrespective of the concentration and mordanting method, alum, stannous chloride, and potassium dichromate did not generate a light fastness improvement compared with the control sample. Although good light and wash fastness values have been achieved without mordants, it is necessary to use them to widen the colour gamut and to obtain increased colour strength.     

Mordant dye application on cotton: optimisation and combination with natural dyes

It is well known that cotton fibres can be dyed through the formation of coordinate bonds involving cellulose chains, mordants such as alum, and natural dyes such as alizarin. Similarly, synthetic dyes known as mordant acid dyes can be used to dye wool fibres. Unlike mordant dyes on wool, the fastnesses of natural dyes on cotton are often low. Although concerns surrounding textile sustainability have sparked renewed interest in the use of natural dyes, extensive replacement of synthetic dyes with natural dyes is neither practical nor fundamentally possible. However, similarities in dyeing methods using mordant and natural dyes raise the possibility of using mordant dyes as alternatives to natural dyes in the dyeing of cotton. Further, the potential for combining suitable dyes from these two classes to expand the colour gamut currently available from natural dyes on cotton seem worthy of exploration. The results of this study indicate that shades comparable with those produced by natural dyes can be obtained on cotton using select mordant dyes following Fe²⁺ and Al³⁺ pretreatments. The best results were obtained using a two‐step/two‐bath process and dyes such as CI Mordant Blue 13 and CI Mordant Orange 6. In evaluations of mordant and natural dye combinations using the two mordant dyes logwood and Osage orange as prototypes, interesting fabric shades were obtained. However, the fastness properties of these dyes must be improved in order to produce commercially viable dyeings.     

Stabilisation and detoxification of henna (Lawsonia inermis L.) extract for hair dye cosmetics by spray‐drying encapsulation

Henna (Lawsonia inermis L.) leaves have been widely used as a natural plant colorant for hair dyeing and body art. However, the utilisation of henna dye extract in commercial colour cosmetics is compromised by its potential harmful effects to humans. This study demonstrates that spray‐drying encapsulation using maltodextrin and gum arabic as biocompatible polymeric carriers can be used as a promising strategy to detoxify henna dye extract while maintaining its hair dyeing efficiency for cosmetics. Henna extract‐loaded microcapsules with an average particle size of 4.1 μm were prepared with an excellent encapsulation efficiency (98.4%) and a negative zeta potential (?34.4 mV). The morphology and physicochemical properties of the microcapsules were characterised by comparison with a spray‐dried sample of neat henna extract. The in vitro toxicological results showed that the microencapsulation process significantly reduced the contact toxicity of henna extract towards human epidermal keratinocytes as well as to the eyes and skin. The encapsulated henna extract also exhibited improved storage stability at three different temperatures (4, 25 and 50°C) for 14 days. Furthermore, the microcapsules demonstrated satisfactory hair dyeing efficiency as natural colorants with good colour fastness towards light and washing.     

核桃青皮醇提物对棉织物染色性能的研究

为解决天然染料核桃青皮染色色调单一的问题,以颜色特征值和染色牢度为指标,通过单因素和正交实验优化了影响染色效果的温度、时间、pH值及核桃青皮色素染液的质量浓度等因素,比较了单金属盐的不同媒染方法和双金属盐复配对纯棉织物染色性能的影响。结果表明,核桃青皮色素染色的优化条件为：温度90oC、质量浓度71.40 g/L、染浴pH=4.0、时间140 min。核桃青皮提取液染色棉织物色谱的范围广,耐摩擦牢度好;耐皂洗牢度上单金属盐媒染是后媒＞前媒＞同浴＞直接染色,双金属盐复配及Fe3+、Fe2+、Cu2+、Al3+、Cr6+等单金属盐媒染的耐皂洗色牢度均能达到3级以上。X-射线衍射分析表明棉织物内部结构未受影响,Fe3+、Fe2+、Cr6+、Sr2+、Na+和K+等单金属盐和Fe2+/Cu2+、Fe2+/Ti4+、Cu2+/Ti4+、Cu2+/Sn2+、Al3+/Cr6+、Cr6+/Ti4+和Cr6+/Sn2+等双金属盐媒染后的棉织物紫外线防护能力增强。     

Effects of additives on the dyeing of cotton yarn with the aqueous extract of Combretum latifolium Blume stems

Flavonoid constituents from the aqueous extract of the stems of Combretum latifolium Blume sourced in Thailand have potential use as dyestuffs for cotton dyeing. In an effort to improve current natural dyeing methods with this extract, further aspects of the process were studied. It was found that, before equilibrium was reached, an increase in temperature led to an increase in dye adsorption rate of the extract; the initial rate and extent of dye adsorption was further increased by the addition of sodium chloride to the dyebath. In addition, cotton yarn pretreated with a chitosan solution (with and without a crosslinking glyoxal solution), followed by dyeing with C. latifolium extract, provided better depth of shade and also gave better fastness to light and washing than the untreated cotton yarn. Post‐mordanting cotton yarn with a biomordant solution from Memecylon scutellatum leaves also gave good light and wash fastness of the resulting dyed cotton, comparable with the dyeing results with the less environmentally friendly alum as a mordant.     

The effect of mordant salts on antibacterial activity of wool fabric dyed with pomegranate and walnut shell extracts

Natural dyes have attracted increasing worldwide attention because of the carcinogenicity and environmental effects of synthetic dyes. In this study, wool fabric was treated with tannin‐rich extracts of Punica granatum peel and walnut shell in combination with some mordants. The effect of various mordants on the colorimetric and antibacterial properties of wool fabrics was investigated. The results showed that pretreatment with metallic mordants substantially improved the dyeing and fastness properties of wool fabrics. The extracts of Punica granatum peel and walnut shell showed a significant antibacterial activity at 5% concentration. In addition, antibacterial activity was dramatically enhanced using metallic salts. The antibacterial activity of samples dyed with natural dyes and without any mordant was not good, while the mordanted samples with copper, aluminum and tin salts obtained considerable antimicrobial properties following lightening and washing fastness. The extracts of Punica granatum peel and walnut shell can be considered as viable alternatives instead of artificial antibacterial agents for hospital textiles as well as an effective anti‐odour agent for sports and household textiles.     

The use of nutshell firstly as a natural dye for cotton and wool and then as a natural adsorbent for colour removal of basic dye effluent

The aim of this study is to utilise nutshell, which is normally a waste. To this end, in the first part of our study we investigated the usability of nutshell extract solution as a natural dye for the coloration of cotton and wool fabrics. In order to optimise the fastness properties of dyed samples, mordant type was chosen as a variable in experiments and dyeings were carried out at 100 g l⁻¹ extract concentration. After extracting its dye, nutshell was used as adsorbent for colour removal of basic dye effluent. The effect of adsorbent dose, initial dye concentration, and contact time on the adsorption of malachite green (MG) onto nutshell was investigated. Adsorption isotherms and kinetics of MG adsorption onto nutshell were also studied.     

Oxygen plasma pretreatment improves dyeing and antimicrobial properties of wool fabric dyed with natural extract from pomegranate peel

This paper presents the application of conventional potassium aluminium sulphate wool mordanting and a biochemical method with silver nitrate (as antimicrobial agent and mordant)_, alone and in combination with oxygen plasma, as part of comprehensive research into pretreatment processes for wool dyeing with natural extract from pomegranate peel (Punica granatum L.). Pretreatment with oxygen plasma significantly improved the hydrophilicity and tensile strength of all tested samples and showed that oxygen plasma can improve K/S, washing fastness, and even replace certain mordants in wool dyeing with natural pomegranate dye. All dyed samples exhibited good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, which can be contributed to the phenol content in pomegranate dye. Only after 28 days of intensive ageing in natural weathering conditions did K/S and antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae slightly decrease in dyed samples pretreated with oxygen plasma.     

Assessment of the dyeing properties of pigments from five fungi and anti‐bacterial activity of dyed cotton fabric and leather

The present study was aimed to assess the anti‐bacterial activity and dyeing property of the pigments obtained from five fungal species. Cotton fabric and leather samples were dyed with the purified pigments and their anti‐bacterial activity was assayed under in‐vitro conditions. Post‐mordant cotton fabric and leather samples exhibited maximum bacterial reduction when compared with the pre‐mordant and dyed samples. Pigment exhaustion, colour coordinates and fastness properties of the dyed cotton fabric and leather samples were also assessed. The toxicity of the pigments was evaluated by seed germination assay.     

Reactive dyeing of silk using commercial acid dyes based on a three‐component Mannich‐type reaction

Acid dyes are employed for commercially dyeing silk, which results in ionic bonds between the silk fibroin and the dye. This generally leads to low wet fastness properties for dyed silk fabrics. In this work, three commercial acid dyes with aromatic primary amine structures were selected to dye silk using a Mannich‐type reaction, resulting in improved wet fastness of dyed silk by forming covalent bonds between silk fibroin and dye. The Mannich‐type reactive dyeing was applied to silk fabrics at both 30 and 90°C in trials. Dyeing at 90°C can shorten the dyeing time compared with dyeing at 30°C, even although dye exhaustion and relative fixation at 90°C were a little lower. The dyeing process was optimised when the dyeing temperature was 90°C, dyebath pH 4, dye‐to‐formaldehyde ratio 1:30 and holding dyeing time 60 minutes. The results showed that the dye exhaustion on silk fabrics for the three aromatic primary amine‐containing acid dyes exceeded 94% and their relative fixation was over 80%. Their washing and rubbing fastness reached grade 4 or higher. Hence, the colour fastness properties of dyed silk fabrics using the Mannich‐type reactive dyeing method is superior to the conventional acid dyeing method using the same aromatic primary amine‐containing acid dyes. The Mannich‐type reactive dyeing for silk fabrics at 90°C can be developed into a novel and rapid reactive dyeing method, promising an effective dyeing process with excellent colour fastness.     

Cotton fabric dyeing with cochineal extract: influence of mordant concentration

Dyeing with cochineal extract has been carried out in Mexico since pre‐Hispanic times as a handcraft process. However, this has limited its application on fabrics other than wool. An experiment was designed to study the influence of mordant concentration on colour behaviour in cotton fabric dyed with cochineal extract at the laboratory. At the same time, colour fastness was determined by applying six fastness tests to define the quality of the dyed fabric. It was concluded that, when there was a larger concentration of metallic ions in the mordant, colour fixation in the fabric was better, as there was less lightness in the red hue of the fabric. In addition, the more hydrogen ions present because of acids, the more intense the red hue. A decreasing trend in the colour fastness tests was observed: dry rubbing > artificial light > acids > alkalis > domestic washing > hot water.     

Mechanism involved in the dyeing of wool with an oil‐in‐water microemulsion system

This article investigates the influence of oil‐in‐water (o/w) microemulsions, used as media for both dye solubilization and dye baths, on the dye uptake on fiber surfaces. An acetic acid solution/Synperonic L7/benzyl alcohol microemulsion system was used to solubilize a water‐insoluble antimicrobial natural dye (C.I. Natural Orange 2) and to dye wool fabric at an acidic pH. The results clearly show that the dye exhaustion on the fabric took place mainly when the temperature of the dye bath promoted a change in the molecular organization of the microemulsions with the liberation of the dye solubilized in the oil droplets of the microemulsions. Although uniformly and evenly dyed fabrics were obtained, they showed very low wash fastness. To confirm the mechanism involved and to achieve dyed fabrics with good wash‐fastness properties, two different dyeing methods were also studied. The first method was dyeing at a constant low temperature, at which the o/w microemulsion remained a monophase system; the second one was dyeing at a high temperature, at which it was transformed into a multiphase system. Both the dye exhaustion and wash fastness improved considerably for the fabrics dyed at a high temperature. Moreover, uniform and even dyeing was achieved. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Metal ion effect on dyeing of wool fabric with catechu

Wool fabric was dyed with catechu by two different process sequences using various metal sulphates as mordant. The dyeing behaviour has been assessed by measuring K/S values and different fastness properties. The effect of different metal ions have been studied with respect to their influence on colour and fastness properties. The mechanism of mordant interaction with the fibre has been briefly considered.     

Dyeing of cotton with the natural dye extracted from waste leaves of green tea (Camellia sinensis var. assamica)

Due to an increase in the production of green tea, the amount of leaf waste has increased enormously, causing serious environmental problems. With regard to environmental awareness, the possibility of reusing the waste leaves of green tea as a low‐cost and abundantly available source of natural dye for dyeing cotton fibres was investigated. Natural dye powder from the waste leaves of green tea (NDPT) was successfully applied to dye cotton fibres without mordant by batch experiments. NDPT was obtained as a dark brown powder with a yield of 2.7 ± 0.5% w/w from dried waste leaves of green tea. The optimal conditions for dyeing NDPT onto cotton fibres were: pH of dye solution, 3; material to liquor ratio, 100:1; dyeing time, 180 min; concentration of dye solution, 3.0 mg/ml; and dyeing temperature, 100 °C. The colour of cotton fibres dyed with NDPT was observed to be dark brown. The adsorption data of NDPT on cotton fibres was best fitted with a Langmuir adsorption isotherm model with a correlation coefficient (R²) of 0.997. It is clear that there is a strong possibility of reusing the waste leaves of green tea as a low‐cost and abundantly available source of natural dye for dyeing cotton fibres.     

Improving the colorfastness of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fabrics with the natural dye of Caesalpinia sappan L. Wood extract and the effect of chitosan and low-temperature plasma

The effect of a low-temperature plasma and/or chitosan pretreatment as a mordant on the dyeing of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fabrics with an aqueous extract of Caesalpinia sappan L. wood, which showed a remarkably high coloring property in a natural dyeing system, was investigated. After dyeing, scanning electron microscopy, add-on, color measurements, and fastness to washing tests were performed. Dyeing with the C. sappan L. extract led to fair-to-good fastness properties in conventional natural dyeing. The results clearly show that the pretreatment with chitosan and/or plasma is better than a metal mordant in terms of the dye uptake and reduction in the dyeing time, that the proposed pretreatment coloration reaction could be carried out without the need for repetitive dye steps, and that it prevents the excessive use of dye chemicals, thereby resulting in a more ecofriendly process. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008