Application of brown seaweed (Sargassum Cristaefolium) as natural eco-colourant on cotton fabrics with natural mordants

Abstract

Dyeing is a technique that provides a wide range of color shades and gives textiles a distinct attractiveness. In the textile industry, natural dyes are regarded as sustainable eco-colorants. Seaweeds are types of marine macro algae, and Sargassum contains natural colorants and several bioactive compounds. The textile industry uses a lot of toxic substances that contain synthetic colors and are harmful to the environment. The purpose of this research was to assess the dyeability of seaweed (Sargassum cristaefolium) extract as a textile eco-colourant on cotton fabric using various natural mordants. To obtain the seaweed (S. cristaefolium) dye, the ethanolic extraction method was used, and the exhaustion dyeing was performed at 70°C for 3-4 hours. Mango (Mangifera indica) bark, dried Night-Flowering Jasmine (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis) flowers, Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) petals, and waste tea (Camellia sinensis) were utilized as natural mordants, and two mordanting procedures were employed: pre-mordanting and post-mordanting. The properties of the coloured textiles' washing, light, and rubbing fastness were measured. To evaluate the colour strength of the dyed textiles, K/S and CIE L*, a*, b* values were evaluated for each mordant. All the experiments were conducted in triplicates. The maximum washing fastness was revealed in the sample pre mordanted with Lotus petals and the highest light fastness was demonstrated in the sample pre mordanted with Mango bark. The dry rubbing fastness shows the best fastness properties than the wet conditions. According to the K/S values the highest colour depth of the dyed fabrics indicated in the sample mordanted with Mango bark in both pre-mordanting and post-mordanting methods. The lightest colour represented in the sample pre-mordanted with dried Night-Flowering Jasmine flowers and the darkest colour represented in the sample post-mordanted with lotus petals. The sample pre-mordanted with dried Night-Flowering Jasmine flowers was indicated as the most reddish coloured sample and the sample post-mordanted with dried Night-Flowering Jasmine flowers gave the most yellowish colour on the cotton fabric.