Reactive Dyeing

Classification of dyes
Dye Class General description Main application

Reactive Easy application; moderate Commonly used for all

price; complete colour cellulosic goods
range; good fastness due to especially in knitted
direct reaction with fibres. fabric batchwise dyeing;
selective dyes can also be
applied on wool, silk &
rayon; increasingly used
in printing due to good
fastness.
 REACTIVE DYES
• This is an entirely class of dye introduced to
the market in 1956.
• They react chemically with the fibre being
dyed & if correctly applied, cannot be
removed by washing or boiling.
 REACTIVE DYES - USE:
• Reactive dyes are used
where bright dyeing with
high light & wash fastness is
required.
• Cold dyeing is used
extensively in batik work.
• Although some reactive
dyestuffs have been
specially modified to dye
wool, their main usage is in
dyeing cotton linen &
viscose rayon.
REACTIVE DYES
• The main feature of the
dyestuff is its low affinity to
cellulose; therefore large
amounts of salt are
required to force its
deposition on he fabric.
 Yellow 2GL
Golden Yellow 2RL
REACTIVE DYES Orange 2R
Scarlet
• Cold water fibre reactive Red BG (primary)
Red 4B (bluish red)
dyes, suitable for dyeing
on cotton, silk, jute, Red 8B (magenta)
Rubinole 5B
rayon & hessian.
Brilliant Blue 2R
• Cannot be used on
Brilliant Blue BL
synthetics or fabric that
Violet 2R
has been coated with
Turquoise 2G
resin or drip-dry finish.
Navy GRL
Brown 2R
Brilliant Green BL
Black B (blue base)
Black 2B (green base)
• 1952 by Hoechst
 Properties

• Water soluble

• substantivity for cellulose

• Dye react with hydroxy groups in cellulose

• Reactive systems

• Monochlorotriazine

• Dichlorotriazine

• Vinyl Sulphone
 Chemical Reactions

• Nucleophilic substitution reaction

• Nucleophilic addition reaction

 Classification
Reactive
Dye
Mono
Bifunctional Multi
functional

Homo Hetro
Bifunctional Bifunctional
 Classification
• Alkali controllable dyes

• High reactivity

• Moderate substantivity

• Apply at low temp.

• level dyeing depends on alkali addition

• e.g. DCT, VS
• Salt controllable dyes

• Low reactivity

• Good substantivity

• Apply at high temp.

• Level dyeing depends on salt addition.

• e.g. MCT, MFT

• Temperature controllable dyes

• Fixation at high temp. and neutral condition

• e.g. NT (Nicotinyl Triazine) Cl -> NHR

 Effect of dyeing
parameters
• All conventional dyes react with

1. Fibre

2. Water

• More hydrolysis - Less fixation

• More absorption - more dye - fibre reaction

• The efficiency of fixation

1. The reactivity ratio, the ratio of rate constants for the fixation
reaction and
hydrolysis

2. The substantivity ratio, the relative concentrations of dye absorbed

into the substrate and remaining in the dye bath - Higher
substantivity; slower diffusion. It is almost constant at pH 7 -11 and
above 11 lowers substantivity

3. The diffusion coefficient of the dye in the substrate;

4. liquor ratio - lowering liquor ratio increases rate & efficiency of

fixation but higher dye bath concentration decreases substantivity
ratio

5. The surface area of the substrate available for absorption of dye -

more surface are more efficient dyeing
• An increase of dyeing temperature

• Rate of diffusion accelerated

• lowers the substantivity ratio and

accelerates the rate of hydrolysis of the
dye

• Increase in electrolyte concentration always

enhances substantivity
 RFD Fabric

• Good / Uniform pretreatment - For easy

penetration

• Oxidising / reducing compounds should be

absent
 Application Methods
• Batchwise exhaust processes

• cold / hot - alkaline dyeing - hot soaping

• Textile material in any physical form can be dyed

• Semi-continuous processes

• padding with dye + alkali -> cold / hot batch -> soaping

• For fabric

• continuous processes

• Padding with dye & alkali (single/two stage) -> dry and/or steaming
->soaping

• For fabric
Batchwise Processes
Substrate Form Machine
Loose fibre /
Package
sliver / Yarn
dyeing
(package or cake
machine
form)

Cabinet
Yarn (Hank form) dyeing
machine

Light / delicate
Winch
fabric

Heavy/ Woven
Jigger
fabric
 Dyeing procedure
• Exhaust max dye using salt under neutral or
slightly acidic condition

• Dye does not react or negligibly - better

migration and levelling

• pH of bath is raised by addition of alkali to

allow reaction

• Time / Temp / pH / salt / alkali varies class to

class
 Salt G. Salt Soda Ash

M H/HE VS/ME M H/HE VS/ME

%
Shade

<= 0.5 25 20 5-25 5 10 10-20

0.51-
35 30-40 25-50 10 15 20
2.0
2.01-
45 55 >=50 15 20 20
4.0

>4.0 55 65 >=50 20 20 20

Temp. R.T. 80 60-65

Time 30-40 80-90 80-90

 Methods of dyeing with cold
brand

• Highly reactive

• suitable for bright shades

• Not suitable for deep shades

 Semi-Continuous
• Eminently suitable for semi continuous and continuous methods

• Low substantivity

• Fast dyeing time

• Cold pad batch

• Suitable to most of sub classes

• dye + wetting agent + alkali padding —> Batching

• For high conc. of dye - 50 - 100 gpl urea

• liquor pickup 60 - 70 % for cotton

• covering roll with polythene sheet and rotation

• batching time - 2 -24 hrs depending on alkali concentration

• washing on jigger or washing range

Pad - Batch (cold)
Pad - Batch (Hot)
• Cold brand dyes

• dye + 2-5 gpl wetting agent + equal to dye

soda ash (min 3 to 30 gpl)

• Batching 2 hrs

• Vinyl sulphone dyes

• dye + 5 gpl wetting agent + 3 to 10 gpl

NaOH + 30 gpl common salt (to improve
colour yield)

• Batching 2 - 6 hrs
 Continuous process
1. Pad (with alkali) - dry e.g DCT

2. Pad (with alkali) - dry - bake e.g MCT

3. Pad (with alkali) - dry - steam

4. Pad (dye) - dry - pad(alkali) - steam

• If dry stage - add thickner to avoid migration

• To prevent reduction in steaming - oxidising

agent added
Pad - Dry - Pad -
Steam
 Cold brand dyes
• pad - dry method

X gpl Dye

10 gpl Sodium bicarbonate

wetting agent

0-200 gpl Urea

• pad at 20-25 C —>dry (100-102 C) —> wash

• Econtrol system - R.H. at 25 % (Avoid urea)

• Pad (dye) - dry - pad(alkali) - steam

• pad (dye + wetting agent + migration inhibitor + reduction inhibitor)

• dry —> pad (2 gpl caustic soda + 200 - 300 gpl c.salt) —> steam (100-102 C /
30 sec)
 H/HE dyes
• pad — dry — bake

• pad (dye + 20 gpl soda ash +wetting agent +

migration inhibitor+ 200 gpl urea) —> dry

• baked (135-150 C / 1-3 min) —> wash

• Pad (dye) - dry - pad(alkali) - steam

• pad (dye + wetting agent + migration inhibitor +

reduction inhibitor)

• dry —> pad (10 gpl caustic soda + 200 - 300 gpl
c.salt) —> steam (100-102 C / 60-75 sec)
 Stripping of Reactive
•
dyes
can not be stripped satisfactorily - covalent bond

• H/HE -

• 6-10 gpl soda ash or c.soda + 6 gpl

hydrosulphite at boil for 1 hr. - rinse —>10 gpl
hypochlorite at R.T. for 20 min —> 2.5 gpl
sodium bisulphite at R.T. for 15 min —>
soaping and rinsing

• cold brand -

• 5-10 gpl glacial A.Acid at 70-100 C - wash

Reactive dyes on silk,
wool
Fastness properties