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NATURAL DYES : THEIR SOURCES AND ECOFRIENDLY USE AS TEXTILE

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 J. Environ. Res. Develop.
Journal of Environmental Research And Development Vol. 8 No. 3A, January-March 2014
Review Paper(NS-2)
NATURAL DYES : THEIR SOURCES AND ECOFRIENDLY
USE AS TEXTILE MATERIALS
Iqbal Sanjeeda and Ansari Taiyaba N.*
Department of Botany, Government Holkar Science College, Indore, (INDIA)

Received September 25, 2013 Accepted March 15, 2014

ABSTRACT
Now-a-days natural dyes are commonly used for textile industries, due to their harmless effects
and harmful consequences of synthetic dyes. Natural dyes work on cotton, silk and wool etc.
Their colours are stable and ecofriendly because of no irritating effects on human skin. Different
plant parts are used for colouring methods. Nature has given us a number of plants to use them
in dyeing processes for safe life. In these processes different mordants are used in combinations,
which can be natural plant products like lemon juice, tamarind pulp, pomegranate and some
chemicals like alum, chrome, stannous chloride, copper sulphate, ferrous sulphate etc. are
commonly used.Large range of colour shades was obtained from different plant sources which
were studied in various research projects. Studies about fastness test of dyed clothes were
undertaken by different researchers and fair to excellent result were obtained. In all the reviewed
studies three mordanting techniques were commonly used as pre-mordanting, simultaneous and
post-mordanting. The results of natural dyeing were found very encouraging, with their non
toxic, non allergic and non-carcinogenic soothing harmless effects.Moreover these dyes are cost
effective and ecofriendly.
Key Words : Natural dye, Synthetic dye, Fastness property, Mordant, Eco-friendly

INTRODUCTION dyes, estimated at around 10,000,000 tons per

India has a rich biodiversity and it is not only
one of the world’s twelve mega diversity
countries, but also one of the eight major
center of origin and diversitification of
domesticated taxa. It has approximately
490,000 plant species of which about 17,500
are angiosperms more than 400 are
domesticated crop species and almost an equal
number their wild relatives. Thus, India
harbour a wealth of useful germplasm
resources and there is no doubt that the plant
kingdom is a treasure-house of diverse natural
products. One such product from nature is the
dye. Dyes are generally used in textile, paper,
cosmetic, food, pharmaceutical and leather
industries. In 1856, William Perkins accidently
synthesized a basic dye, with the advent of
synthetic dyes, the use of natural dyes declined
tremendously because of existing natural dyes
failed to full fill the demand of the market.
Presently there is an excessive use of synthetic
*Author for correspondence
683
annum, the production and application of
which release vast amounts of waste and
unfixed colorants, causing serious health
hazards and disturbing eco-balance of nature.
Research has shown that synthetic dyes are
suspected to release harmful chemicals that are
allergic, carcinogenic and detrimental to
human health, some studied are recorded. 1-4
Germany was the first to take initiative to put
ban on numerous specific azo-dyes for their
manufacturing and applications. Netherlands,
India and some other countries also followed
the ban, even then the large number of
synthetic dyes are in use.
Mordants are metal salts which produce an
affinity between the fabric and the dye.5
Alum, chrome, stannous chloride, copper
sulphate, ferrous sulphate etc. are commonly
used mordants.
Colouring agent of plants are derived from
roots, leaves, barks, trunk and fruits. Henna,
madar, pomegranate, turmeric, eucalyptus etc.
are well known examples of natural dyes.
©JERAD All rights reserved

Journal of Environmental Research And Development
Natural dyes have better biodegradability and
are obtained from renewable sources. Efforts
are now being made to identify the raw
materials from plant sources and to standardise
the recipes for their use. Thus, utilizing natural
dyes to impart colour on the fabric has a
number of advantages over synthetic dyes.
These include (i) eco-friendliness, (ii)
possibility of premium pricing (iii) variety of
colours produced from single dye source (iv)
no health hazard to humans.
DISCUSSION
6
Onal studied the total amount of dyeing
substances present in Rubia tictrium was
found by using the extraction method and then
separated in column. All of the dyeing were
carried out with red component alizarin (1, 2 –
dehydroxyanthraquinone) dyeing condition
and other characteristics were determined and
in most cases high fast colours were obtained.
Mathur et al. 7 carried out wool yarn has been
dyed with natural colourant extracted from
bark of neem (Azadirachta indica) branchlets
under the optimum condition.The soft,
lustrous, reddish-brown colour with good
fastness properties.
Mahale et al. 8 studied the use of Acalypha
wilkesiana leaves for silk dyeing. The samples
tested with potash alum showed increase in
colour when subjected to sunlight test and
those treated with potassium dichromate,
copper sulphate and ferrous sulphate showed
excellent to good washing properties.
Grover et al.9 studied the dye yielding potential
of flowers of Jatropha intregrimma was
evaluated and results revealed that the dye
extracted from these flowers give good shades
with satisfactory fastness to light, washing,
crocking and perspiration on silk.
Srivastava et al. 10 studied on optimization of
dye from Khakra gum (Butea monosperma)
and effect of mordant combination on fastness
properties of silk yarn. The results concluded
that the effect of mordant combination on
the fastness properties of silk yarns dyed with
khakra ka gond showed remarkable
improvement in the colourfastness properties
in all the six mordant combination especially
towards sunlight and washing.
Sood et al. 11 revealed that combination of
litchi and apricot dye combination exhibit
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J. Environ. Res. Develop.
Vol. 8 No. 3A, January-March 2014
excellent colour fastness to washing, crocking
and light and good perspiration fastness.
Dixit et al. 12 studied the colourfastness properties
of the dye obtained from Euphorbia cotinifolia
leaves on silk fabric resulting to different shades
of grey, chamois, sandstone and sandalwood.
Colourfastness of the dyed samples was
successfully improved with the use of mordants.
Sudhakar et al. 13 evaluated the performance of
the Spathodea campanulata flower extract as dye
on silk fabric. Silk fabric was dyed with flower
extract along with varying concentrations of
different mordant.
Patel and Patel et al. 14 polyurethane fibre has
been dyed with a methanolic extract from the
leaves of Ocimum sanctum containing ursolic
acid as the major colorant with or without
various metallic salts and different mordanting
techniques. The dyeing show moderate to good
fastness to washing, light and rubbing.
Agarwal et al. 15 studied the use of Marigold
(Tagetes erecta) petals to standardize the printing
paste for cotton. The use of mordants produced
various colours with marigold flower dye. Beige
colour was obtained when dye was used without
any mordant whereas it was mustard with
chrome and olive green with copper sulphate.
Sankat and Siddique et al. 16 studied dyeing of
cotton fabric with the natural dye obtained from
cultivated Poppy petals (Papaver orientale
L.).Three different eco-friendly metallic
mordants; alum[Al2 (SO4)3],CuSO4 and FeSO4
are used. The results for dyeing were very
encouraging. Jothi et al. 17 studied the use of an
extract isolated from marigold (Tagetes erecta),
as a natural dye it can be used for coloration of
100% cotton, silk and wood fabrics. Pruthi et al.
18
barberry bark dye was used for dyeing of
degummed pure silk yarn using four selected
mordants alum, chrome, copper sulphate and
ferrous sulphate in different ratio i.e. 1:1, 1:3 and
3:1. The dyed sample possess very good to
excellent fastness and large range of shades
were obtained. The mordant which was in high
proportion dominated the shade. Win and Swe et
al. 19 studied the purification of natural dyestuff
extracted from mango bark for the application on
protein fibres. Colour fastness properties of crude
dyes extracted from mango bark are good in light
fastness.

Journal of Environmental Research And Development
According to Adect et al. 20 the natural dye
extracted from pomegranate rind might be
used as a possible substitute of synthetic dyes
having banned aryl-amine moieties.
Kamel et al. 21 studied the colour strength of
cotton fabrics dyed with natural colouring
matter extracted from Crocus sativus (Saffron)
by the ultrasonic method is better than the
colour strength for cotton fabric dyed by the
traditional method.
Vanker et al. 22 carried out aqueous extract of
pericarp of Garcinia was prepared by sonicator
for quick extraction of the colorant and has
been used for dyeing cotton, silk, and wool
yarn.The hue colour ranged from camel brown
to dark chocolate brown. The colour strength
K/S has been found to be very good in dyed
samples.
Goodarzian and Ekrami et al. 23 studied the
dyeing substances present in madder plant
were extracted by using the solvent extraction
method. It was found that the colour strength
of extracted madder dye is more than raw
madder.
Haji Aminoddin et al. 24 studied a functional
colorant, Berberine extracted from Berberis
vulgaris wood was applied onto wool fibre
using extract of root Rumex hymenosepolus as
biomordant. The extract of the Berberis
vulgaris can be considered as a natural dye of
acceptable fastness together with excellent
antibacterial activity for woolen textile.
Grover and Patni et al. 9 studied the extraction
of natural dye from Woodfordia fructicosa and
their application on textiles.Three different
types of fabrics and three different types of
yarns were used in the experiment to observe
the strength of dye.Cotton Jute mix sample
showed dark yellowish brown colour with
Myrobalan, dark blackish brown colour with
ferrous sulphate, camel colour with stannous
chloride and yellowish brown with potassium
dichromate.
Kulkarni et al. 25 studied cotton dyeing
with natural dye extracted from Pomegranate
(Punica granatum) peel the main colouring
agent is granatonine which present in the
alkaloid form N-methyl granatonine.The
fabrics dyed with pomegranate peel gave
different shade of yellow, brown and black.
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J. Environ. Res. Develop.
Vol. 8 No. 3A, January-March 2014
Kulkarni et al. 26 carried out to extract natural
dye from green chilli (Capsicum annum) the
main colouring component in chilli is
oleoresin. Different shades of yellow were
obtained from the dye extracted from chilli
skin.
Kumaresan et al. 27 studied that flower of
Cordia sebestena gives dye which was
successfully used for dyeing of silk and cotton
to obtain a wide range of soft,pastel and light
colours by using combination of mordants.
Kumaresan et al. 28 studied dye obtained from
flower of Spathodia campanulata was
successfully used for dyeing of silk to have a
wide range of soft and light colours by using
combination of mordants.
Mongkholrattanasit et al. 29 studied dye
extraction from the leaves of eucalyptus and
application of this on wool fabric. Dyeing was
done by the exhaust process.The results
confirmed that natural dye from eucalyptus
leaves extract have potential application for
fabric dyeing and producing ultraviolet (UV)
protect silk and wool fabrics.
Saravanan and Chandramohan et al. 30 studied
dyeing with natural dye obtained from barks of
Ficus religiosa L.belong to family Moraceae.The
dyed silk sample have shown good washing,
light and rubbing fastness properties.
Sharma and Grover et al.9 an attempt has been
made to dye cotton yarns with walnut bark dye
and it has been found that walnut dye can be
successfully used for dyeing of cotton.
Sundarajan et al. 31 were used marigold and
turmeric for the extraction of natural dye
material tannin acid. Cow dung, pomegranate
rind and lemon juice were selected as natural
mordant to standardized the dyeing effect of
marigold and turmeric dyes on silk and knitted
cotton fabric. All the mordanted fabric showed
good dye uptake.
Bose and Nag et al. 32 attempt to isolate natural
dyes from the flowers of Hibiscus rosa-
sinensis. In the result, three different colours
like blue, purple and green were prepared from
the flowers and they are well stable on cloths
after washing by hot water and soap too.The
intensity of the three colours are also high,
they are bright and really eco- friendly to
human skin.

Journal of Environmental Research And Development
Charu Swami et al. 33 studied ethanolic extract
of Sesbania aculeata to dye cotton fabric using
five different mordants with three different
mordanting techniques. The fastness properties
of dyed samples were quite good.
Deshpande and chaturvedi et al. 34 extracted a
natural dye from different parts of Ricinus
plant. Aerial parts of plant (fruit coat, leaf)
were found to be good source of natural dye
for cotton as well as silk cloth with different
mordants. Green, brown and yellow shades
were obtained on cloth. Excellent fastness
property of dye was also observed.
Mishra performance 35 of ultrasound assisted
extraction (UAE) technique for the extraction
of colourant from Dahlia variabilis has been
compared with conventional solvent extraction
method. The extracted dye is also used for
dyeing of wool yarns, generally used in carpet
industries for eco-dyeing.
Singh and Purohit36 the colour fastness
properties of the flowers of Erythrina
suberosa dyed on wool were studied using
combination of mordants such as lemon juice:
copper sulphate, lemon juice: potassium
dichromate, lemon juice: ferrous sulphate and
lemon juice: stannous chloride in the ratio of
1:3, 1:2 and 3:1.Large range of shades was
obtained because of varying mordant ratios
and combinations.
In natural dyeing process mordants are used in
combinations. In above research works fabrics
commonly used, such as cotton, silk and wool
etc. but cotton is used mostly.
Parts of these plants are used- Papaver
orientale, Punica granatum, Sesbania
aculeata, Tagetes erecta, Capsicum annum,
Spathodea campanulata, Allium cepa, Crocus
sativus, Molus sikkimensis, Garcinia, Hibiscus
rosa sinensis, Ricinus, Walnut etc. These
plants can be used successfully for dyeing of
cotton to obtain a wide range of soft,pastel and
light colours with natural and metallic
mordants.
Dye extracted from Woodfordia fruticosa,
Cordia sebestena, Tagetes erecta, Spathodea
campanulata, Ficus religiosa, Allium cepa,
Bark of Neem, Bixa orellana, Rheum emodi,
Garcinia, Molus sikkimensis, Berberis vulgeris,
leaves of Eucalyptus, outer green Almond,
Dahlia variabilis, Erythrina suberosa, Rubia
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J. Environ. Res. Develop.
Vol. 8 No. 3A, January-March 2014
tictrium etc. They can be used for dyeing silk to
obtain a wide range of soft and light colour by
using combination of mordants.
Dye extracted from Erythrina suberosa,
Tagetes erecta Acalypha wilkensiana,
Jatropha intregrimma, Butea monosperma,
Euphorbia contifolia, Spathodea campanulata,
Bixa orellana, Rheum emodi, Molus
sikkimensis, Ricinus plant can be used for
dyeing wool.
Natural dyes give a large range of different
shades with varying mordant ratios and
combinations. Colour fastness property can be
improved by washing, rubbing, light and
perspiration process. These studies evaluated
by researchers in above references for fair to
excellent fastness quality.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of above, review of literature
natural dyes are found ecofriendly, more useful
and cost effective, harmless with soothing
effects. They are non toxic, non allergic to
skin, non carcinogenic, easily available and
renewable. We should use natural dye cloths to
make these practices popular in society. So,
that plant production may be increased in
future which will be beneficial for
environment. Although natural dye cloths are
costilier than synthetic ones, but they can be
made cost effective in coming days by more
production of dye yielding crops on large scale
with cheaper techniques of dyeing.
Thus natural dyes are beneficial :
1. to save environment by large scale
production of plants
2. to human society for safer and harmless
life
3. to reduce pollution problems by synthetic
dyes.
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Environment should be put in
the category of our national
security. Defence of our
resources is just as important
as defence abroad. Otherwise
what will remain there to
defend ?
Robert Redford