Seidlitzia rosmarinus as a multipurpose environmentally friendly alkali in simultaneous dyeing and nanofinishing of polyester fabric: ZnO-NPs synthesis, carrier-free dyeing, and reduction clearing

A multipurpose product could be produced by synthesizing metal oxides and dyeing the fabric. However, to achieve better, cleaner results while consuming less energy, it is ideal to shorten the time and reduce costs by simultaneously creating nanoparticles and dyeing. This work facilitates carrier-free dyeing of polyester fabric and the synthesis of ZnO-NPs using Kelyab as a green alkali. The remarkable results demonstrated reduced bending length, i.e., a softer handle, higher air permeability, and tensile strength, longer resistance in alkaline conditions, and comparable color strength and fastness. Moreover, the after-treatment, the last treatment step on the finished or dyed fabric, pertains to the reduction clearing. It is essential for dyed PET fabric, given its significance in colorimetric characteristics and other fastness attributes, particularly washing. Thus, it is necessary to develop innovative techniques to achieve these objectives without using harmful chemicals. Kelyab, as an environmentally safe reducing agent, produced comparable results to those of the conventional method, especially in color strength. In addition, air plasma was applied as a surface activation and green pre-treatment, resulting in the highest color and tensile strength. The prepared samples were examined using FT-IR, XRD, and FESEM, among other tests. Using fewer chemicals (50% lower) in the reduction clearing, saving time and energy for preparing reduction solution, and lowering the requirement for waste-water treatment in the simultaneous nanosynthesis and dyeing are the novelties of the introduced processing that can replace conventional method in dyeing, post-dyeing, and nanofinishing treatments.