A sustainable approach for dyeing silk fabric using dye and mordant extractions from natural resources

Purpose The purpose of this study is to replace synthetic dyes with natural dyes and metal mordants with natural mordants which can result in a complete sustainable dyeing solution. Design/methodology/approach Coloration of textiles using synthetic dyes involves a high concentration of supportive chemicals, which leads to effluent release. Nowadays, there has been great interest in addressing this problem by exploring natural dyes as a potential solution. However, these dyes are applied with metal mordants that may have toxic effects if not removed properly. Findings In this study, the natural dye has been extracted from Sesbania aculeata leaves and applied to silk fabric using lemon juice as a mordant, which has no environmental impact. Dyeing was done with varying dye extract concentration, mordant concentration and dyeing temperature using a meta-mordanting technique. Results indicate that color strength (K/S), rubbing fastness, washing fastness and staining fastness were significantly improved, whereas light fastness showed a slight improvement. Dye exhaustion of 31% was calculated from the absorbance of dye solutions. Originality/value The method explored in this research ensures sustainable development in dyeing by comparing natural and metal mordanting systems. Sesbania aculeata with lemon juice has been explored for the first time for silk, showing good opportunities in sustainable dyeing technology.