Determination of the Dyeing Potential of Mint and Sage Crops Wastes on Wool and Cotton Fibers

In the present study, dyeing potential of waste water from distillation process was investigated for fresh and dried herbs of Menthaspicata (MS), Menthapiperita (MP), and Salvia officinalis (SO) species. Meta-mordanting method was used in the dyeing of wool and cotton fabrics in the presence of FeSO4·7H2O (iron) and AlK(SO4)2·12H2O (alum) mordants. The color of each dyed material was investigated in terms of the CIELab (L*, a*, b*, C, and h°) and K/S values. The surfaces of the samples were observed using a scanning electron microscope. It was observed that the color strength of fresh and dried plant is depended on the plant species, mordant, and fabric type. Best color intensity (K/S = 16.68) was obtained with iron mordant using fresh SO on cotton fabric. For wool fabric, the highest color strength (K/S = 9.62) was obtained with fresh SO in the presence of alum mordant. Presence of metal mordant for natural dyeing process of cotton with MS, MP, and SO extract has shown remarkable improvement in terms of dye adherence and fastness properties thus metal mordanting could be suitable alternative dyeing method for ecofriendly industrial application. © 2017 Taylor & Francis