Testing the UV-rays blocking ability of naturally pigmented cotton in near-

space environment.
By Do Nguyen Binh An
I. EXPERIMENT NAME

Testing the UV-rays blocking ability of naturally pigmented cotton in near-space

environment.

I. FOCUS QUESTION: How effective is naturally pigmented cotton at blocking UV radiation in a near-
space environment compared to non-natural dyed cotton?
II. TOPIC: Material, Space Science, Engineering.
III. VARIABLES:
 Primary Independent variable: UV-rays in near-space environment
 Primary Dependent variable: UV-rays blocking ability of naturally pigmented cotton.
 Entity: Naturally pigmented cotton.
 Entity description: We use the naturally pigmented cotton in our experiment, it is a type of
cotton that has been bred to have colors other than the typical yellowish off-white of
modern commercial cotton fibers. The colors grown can include red, green, and several
shades of brown, and these natural colors do not fade over time.
IV. HYPOTHESIS
If naturally-pigmented cotton is exposed to higher intensity, shorter wavelength UV-rays in
near-space, then naturally-pigmented cotton can block 96 - 97.4% of incoming UV-rays,
because many studies have shown that naturally-pigmented cottons have excellent sun
protection properties (high UPF values, ranging from 30 - 50 +).
V. BACKGROUND RESEARCH REFERENCE
Background research on the entity:
This cotton is believed to have originated in the Americas around 5000 years ago,
particularly in the Andes region
The color in naturally pigmented cotton comes from pigments found within the cotton itself.
For example, green cotton gets its color from caffeic acid, found in the suberin (wax) layer of
the fiber, while brown and tan cottons derive their color from tannin vacuoles in the fiber
cells1. These naturally colored fibers are typically shorter and weaker than white cotton,
resulting in lower yields and making them less suitable for heavy machine spinning.
However, they are valued for their softer feel and pleasant smell.
1. textilestudycenter.com

Despite these appealing qualities, naturally pigmented cotton is still relatively rare due to
the specialized harvest techniques and facilities required, which make it more expensive to
harvest than white cotton2. In the past, most indigenous colored cotton landraces or
cultivars were replaced by all-white, commercial varieties
Background research for the problem statement:

On a massive scale, fast fashion has a severe impact on our planet’s resources, biodiversity,
and population due to pigment dyes. On the one side, dyes used on synthetic textiles like
polyester, cotton can be hazardous to both the workers who make the items and the
environment since approximately 6-9 trillion liters of water, as well as a vast variety of
other toxic chemicals, are used to dye and wash garments annually. The textile dyes
significantly compromise the aesthetic quality of water bodies, increase biochemical and
chemical oxygen demand (BOD and COD), impair photosynthesis, inhibit plant growth,
enter the food chain, provide recalcitrance, and bioaccumulation, and may promote toxicity,
mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity.[1] On the other side, the colors produced by natural dyes
and pigments are vibrant, they are not only biodegradable but also nontoxic. [2] Additionally,
it is researched that cotton fabrics dyed with natural dyes increase the capacity of tissues in
relation to their UV protection and can be considered as effective protection against the sun.
This experiment helps to prove the UV blocking effectiveness of naturally-pigmented cotton.
Moreover, we can confidently choose natural colors over alternative options in order to
assist in the preservation of the environment and reduce human reliance on dangerous
materials.

Synthetic textiles are proved to enhance the sun-blocking properties higher when a dye,
pigment, or ultraviolet absorber finish is present that absorbs UV radiation and blocks its
transmission through a fabric to the skin. Therefore, dyed fabrics provide better sun
protection than bleached fabric and are being used widely to make clothes, most popular
one is fast fashion with cheap prices. However, those are all believed to be not sustainable
at all but still being on the market. Since naturally-colored cottons contain pigments that
produce shades ranging from light green to tan and brown, it seemed reasonable to
postulate that they would provide better sun protection than conventional bleached cotton
and that natural pigments might prove more durable to laundering and light exposure than
dyes. One study has successfully demonstrated the excellent sun protection properties (high
UPF values) of naturally-pigmented cottons, which are far superior to conventional,
bleached or unbleached cotton (green UPF = 30 to 50+; tan UPF = 20 to 45; brown UPF = 40
to 50+; bleached conventional UPF = 4; unbleached conventional UPF = 8). It is clear that
the pigments in naturally-pigmented cotton fibers both provide protection from UV
radiation for embryonic cotton seed and from the sun’s harmful rays for consumers who
wear garments manufactured from these naturally-pigmented fibers. The UPF values of the
naturally-pigmented cottons remained high enough, even after 80 AFUs light exposure, so
that the fabrics merited sun protection ratings of “good” to “very good” according to ASTM
6603 voluntary labeling guidelines for UV-protective textiles.

There are also many previous pieces of research that concluded that cotton fabrics using
natural dyes have greater UV protection. Some of these are researched from extracted
Henna leave[4], Eucalyptus leaf[5], etc. There is also a study suggesting bio design change will
increase environmental sustainability by using interviews with professionals and
contemporary examples.

1. Effects of textile dyes on health and the environment and bioremediation potential
of living organisms - ScienceDirect
2. Investigation of the Effect of Various Natural Dyes on UV Protection Properties and
Antibacterial Activity of Cotton Fabrics (Shahidi, 2021)
3. The Ultraviolet Protection Factor of Naturally-pigmented Cotton
4. (PDF) An Evaluation of UV Protection Imparted by Wool Fabric Dyed with Natural
Dye from Eucalyptus Leaf
5. New Approach for Dyeing and UV Protection Properties of Cotton Fabric Using
Natural Dye Extracted from Henna Leaves