Sustainable enzyme-based dyeing of cotton fabric using brown dye from Ficus benghalensis and its antibacterial property

The consciousness about the environment and sustainable development leads to the emergence of eco-friendly natural dye, an alternative to synthetic dye and dyeing processes. The water discharged from the textile industry spreads various infectious diseases related to the skin, digestive and respiratory systems among human beings as well as poses adverse effects on aquatic biota. Considering the fact, the natural and eco-friendly dye has been extracted from leaves of Ficus benghalensis (FBL) and characterized for spectroscopic and phytochemical properties using FTIR, UV–visible and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Obtained brown dye is explored for dyeing cotton fabric using natural mordants (pineapple, spinach and beetroot juices) and compared with traditional potash alum mordant. The dyed fabrics were characterized for fastening properties, K/S and CIE Lab color coordinates, which shows the highest ΔE (41.11) and K/S (7.869) value with the lowest CIE (L* = 55.01; a* = 4.41, b* = 15.64) values for 10 % pineapple-based mordant. The antibacterial assay showed the dye is effective against Bacillus subtilis . • The natural brown dye was obtained from Ficus benghalensis leaves. • Presence of phytochemicals were confirmed by qualitative and LC-MS/MS analysis. • Natural enzymes were employed as natural mordants. • The dyed fabrics were characterized for fastening properties, K/S and CIE Lab color coordinates. • Antibacterial properties against Bacillus subtilis of natural dye highlight their additional usefulness.