Cleaner Production of Bioactive and Coloured Cotton Fabric Using Euclea Divinorum Dye Extract with Bio-Mordants

Coloured textile products are more marketable, and are therefore always in higher demand. This has increased the use of synthetic dyes in the textile industry, thus raising environmental pollution associated with synthetic dyes. Natural dyes have been shown to be suitable alternatives. However, the use of metallic mordants during dyeing means the process is not eco-friendly, hence the need to develop bio-mordants that can be used as alternatives to some toxic metallic mordants. In this study, the effects of bio-mordants on the dyeing properties of Euclea divinorum Hiern (Ebenaceae) dye extract were assessed using different mordanting methods on cotton fabric. Dyeing characteristics were evaluated in terms of colour fastness and colour strength. Antioxidant textile finishing properties of the natural dye on cotton fabric was determined using the 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) method. The bio-mordants improved the colour strength for dyed cotton fabric from 0.612 to 0.863 and 0.911 for the cotton fabric mordanted with mango and rosemary, respectively. This study identified an important basis of suitable bio-mordants that can be applicable when dyeing cotton fabric with E. divinorum natural dye. In addition, the good antioxidant activity of 72.5% indicates that E. divinorum dye extract is a promising agent for the future development of bioactive, protective and health textile fabric.