Exploration of Cajanus Cajan Husk for Natural Dye Extraction: Its Characterization and Application on Cotton Fabric

This research work was focused on the extraction of a natural dye from an agricultural waste, cajanus cajan husk. Extracted dye powder was characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy for confirmation of functional groups present in the dye. The influence of dye concentration with simultaneous mordanting procedures on color characteristics of the dyed cotton fabric samples was investigated. The effect of variable relative color strength on dyeing intensity using ferrous sulphate, alum and sodium chloride mordants was also investigated. With ferrous sulphate, dark brown color shade was observed which revealed that the cotton fabrics dyed with metal mordants with higher concentration, have higher relative color strength. The ultra-violet protection factor of the fabric dyed was observed to be increasing using all the mordants with increasing dye concentration. At 70 °C, lower values of relative color strength with ferrous sulphate mordant and with lighter shade with increasing temperature were observed. The aim of the work was to test applicability of the dye in dyeing cotton fabrics.