Comparative study of ultrasonic and conventional dyeing of cotton and wool with natural dye arjun (Terminalia arjuna) bark

Abstract

Traditionally, the conventional dyeing method is an energy-intensive process as the dyeing is carried out above 100°C to obtain good color strength and color fastness properties. Furthermore, these high temperatures may deteriorate the fabric surface. Ultrasonic dyeing method is an alternative method of conventional dyeing of textile materials, providing energy saving by reduced process temperature and time. This paper focuses on comparing the conventional and ultrasonic dyeing methods of cotton and wool fabrics with natural dye arjun bark to investigate the effect of ultrasonic waves on dyeing performance. The effect of ultrasonic wave on the dyeing properties was studied after comparing the K/S value, the CIE Lab values and the color fastness properties of both the conventional and the ultrasonic dyed samples. Experimental results indicated that the ultrasonic dyeing method gave better color strength, deeper dye diffusion and improved fastness properties as compared to the conventional dyeing method. Hence, taking into consideration the growing environmental concerns and to make the process of natural dyeing truly eco-friendly, ultrasonic dyeing may be regarded as an effective alternative to conventional natural dyeing method.