Page 242 - AWSAR 2.0

218 || AWSAR Awarded Popular Science Stories - 2019
Fig 2: Dyeing in laboratory to optimize conditions
When I began the laboratory experiment of dyeing with flower extracts in different concentrations, it resulted in lighter shades, that is, pastle colours. But gradually, I achieved some bright beautiful colours and shades with natural dyes. Some primary conditions of dyeing, that is, concentration, pH, time and temperature were optimized during my research work.
One Sunday morning,
I was at home and reading
the newspaper I saw an
advertisement about an
exhibition on natural dyed
fabrics. I decided to visit
the exhibition. Next day, I
went there and asked some
shopkeepers about natural
dyes, like how they were made,
processed and the methods
of natural dyeing. While the
shopkeeper was explaining,
I realized that all the natural
dyeing processes contained
chemicals. They used synthetic chemicalstodyeandaswellasfixativeagents and for other steps in the process due to lack of knowledge about natural ones. I noticed shopkeepers telling the customers, “These fabrics are made of pure and by natural dyeing process”, which was not true. Then
Fig 3: Visit to a dyeing unit
after sometime my supervisor and I visited industries to know more about natural dyes and their manufacturing process and noted the involvement of chemicals during various steps of natural dyeing. I realized that these days the process of natural dyeing of fabric is not fully natural, it involves many chemical agents, and common people have no knowledge of natural dyes, therefore they believe the shopkeepers
and buy the so-called naturally dyed cloth at very high cost. While, on the one side, synthetic chemical dyeing is hazardous for the health of human beings and nature, on the other hand, naturally dyed fabrics despite their high cost also cause ill- effects .
But during my research, I decided to use only natural dyes and natural fixing agents (mordants). Natural dyes were obtained from flowers as Tesu (Butea monosperma), Marigold (Tagetes erecta) and
Mango bark (Mangifera indica), Eucalyptus leaves and banana sap. Pomegranate rind and myrobalan were used as fixing agents/ mordants. I achieved beautiful shades on fabric with these natural ingredients. After dyeing, the fabric needs to be especially tested prior
There are several plants in nature which contain colouring pigments in their parts, that is, root, bark, leaves, flower and fruits. These colour compounds can be extracted in aqueous solution and as they produce beautiful colours and applied on textiles.