Extraction of Natural Dyes from Plants

ABOUT AUTHOR
Geetha B and V. Judia Harriet Sumathy
Postgraduate & Research Department of Biotechnology, Women’s Christian College, Chennai–600006
*E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract
The main idea of extracting dyes from plant (natural) sources is to avoid the environmental pollution. Present days with global concern over the use of eco-friendly and biodegradable materials, considerable research work is being undertaken around the world on the application of natural dyes in textile industry. The effluent problems of synthetic dyes occur not only during their application in the textile industry, but also during their manufacture and possibly during the synthesis of their intermediates and other raw materials. The use of natural dyes for textile dyeing purposes, decreased to a large extent after the discovery of synthetic dyes in1856. Dyes derived from natural sources have emerged as an important alternative to synthetic dyes.  Analytical studies such as IR spectrophotometry were performed on the extract. The dyes produced were dyed on cotton fabric and tested for their color fastness to washing properties.  Several mordants were also used for fixing the color on the fabrics. Moreover, the dyes obtained from the plant may also be alternative sources to synthetic dyes for the dyeing of natural cotton fiber.  Therefore, this methodology is employed to first identify plants from which dyes can be extracted and to test the properties of the plant dyes and introduce them into the textile fabrics in a faster and effective manner.
Key words: Dyes, Textiles, Mordants, Biodegradable, Fabrics.