Extraction of Natural Dyes from Locally Available Sources and their Application on the Extracted Sisal Fibres

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1 UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS RESEARCH JOURNAL Volume 23A 2017 University of Mauritius, Réduit, Mauritius Extraction of Natural Dyes from Locally Available Sources and their Application on the Extracted Sisal Fibres A Vaidya Soocheta* Faculty of Engineering University of Mauritius Réduit a.soocheta@uom.ac.mu J Gooroochurn Faculty of Engineering University of Mauritius Réduit jay.gooroochurn@umail.uom.ac.mu Paper accepted on 26 April 2017 Abstract The paper reports the extraction of fibres from leaves of Agave Sisalana and dyeing of the fibres with natural dyes. It grows in any type of soil except clay and its cultivation method is very simple. In Mauritius, it is used mainly as a decorative plant. The fibres extracted from this plant have found diversified uses in other countries. The Sisal fibres were extracted by manual and mechanical methods and dyed with natural dyes that were collected from various locally available sources. Sources such as onion skin, turmeric, coffee, tea, soil, dog s tooth grass, henna, bougainvillea flower and hibiscus flower have been used to dye the extracted fibres. The present study focus on natural dye extraction from sources that are readily available in local markets or kitchen gardens so that this practice could be adopted in the native context. The dyed fibres were tested for colour coordinates and light fastness. A wide range of colours were obtained on dyeing the Sisal fibres. The results show that the sources are promising as a natural colorant, for dyeing sisal fibres which would, in turn, pave the way for the discovery of a new range of environment-friendly dyes for textile materials. The study may be appreciated as a sustainable economic development project for encouraging the use of locally available renewable resources for natural fibres and dyes. 21

2 Extraction of Natural Dyes from Locally Available Sources and their Application on the Extracted Sisal Fibres Keywords : Dyeing, Extraction, Natural Dyes, Sisal Fibre 1 Introduction Natural fibre based products which have less bio degradable characters are now getting more and more preferred across the globe. The depletion of nonrenewable resources have encouraged the use of green materials and stimulated a need to design products by using renewable resources to reduce environmental impacts. Natural fibres seem to be a good alternative since they are abundantly available and one such fibre-yielding plant is Agave Sisalana. The plant grows in any type of soil except clay. Its cultivation method is very simple. It is resistant to disease and its basic necessities are low as compared to other crops (FAO, 2016). It is a robust shrub. The leaves are m long, cm wide, thick, flat, oblong, margins with upwardly directed spines and crowded in the basal part. The flowering stem stout grows up to 3 m high and is covered with scales. The fibres extracted from its leaves have found diversified uses in a number of countries worldwide. The plant is found growing wildly in many places all over Mauritius, however, its potential has not been exploited to its fullest and currently finds use only as a decorative plant. Exploring the plant s potential commercially for fibre production can contribute to the economy of the country. Similarly, Sisal fibres combined with natural dyes can present great opportunity whereby it could be used in various ways in the fibre industry. The introduction of Sisal fibres and natural dyes would serve an asset and generate employment for the country especially in the handicraft sector and small scale enterprises. Sisal fibres are extracted from the leaves of Sisal plant. The fibres were extracted by hand extraction machine using of either serrated or non-serrated knives. The leaf is clamped between the wood plank and knife and hand-pulled through, removing the resinous material. The extracted fibres are washed and sun-dried which whitens the fibre. In the present study extraction of the Sisal fibres was carried out by manual decortication processes. The objective being to introduce procedures that do not require use of sophisticated mechanisms. Simple processes were used which could be replicated. 22

3 A Vaidya Soocheta & J Gooroochurn The extracted Sisal fibres were dyed with natural dyes obtained from locally available sources in Mauritius. Natural dyes are obtained from plants, insects/animals and minerals. These are renewable and sustainable bio-resource products and have minimum environmental impact. Natural dyes have been known and used by mankind since antiquity (Kadolph, 2008). Designers have been effectively utilizing natural dyes as a design tool developing new colour palettes, unique tones, and long-lasting vibrancy as the non-reproducibility and non-uniformity of shades makes each creation inimitable. New additions are being made to the list of plant species that can be used as dye sources (Samanta and Agarwal, 2009). Natural dyes can be processed in several ways such as water based extractions of the dye from the dyestuff source, dyestuff fermentation to produce a useable dye, immersion in a dye bath, or repeated immersions in a dye bath. There are many other options open to dyers to extract dyes from natural resources including contact dyeing, extracting with a solvent other than water and low immersion dyeing where the water to fibre ratio is low (Gulrajani, 2001). Dyeing of fibres with natural dyes often gives a narrow shade range and lower colour fastness of the dyed material. Several natural dyes require a mordant to permanently bond with a fibre. In addition the use of mordants also change the hue of certain dyes. Different mordants used with the same dye may darken, brighten or drastically alter the final colour of the dyed fibre (Manhita et al., 2011; Yi and Cho, 2008). Mordants are usually chemical salts such as ferrous sulphate or aluminium potassium sulphate. Other mordants used such as copper sulphate, stannous chloride and potassium dichromate, are considered to pose health and environmental concerns (Samanta and Agarwal, 2009). 2 Methodology 2.1 Decortication of Sisal fibre The Sisal fibres were extracted from the large spear shaped tropical leaves of the Agave Sisalana plant by manual and mechanical processes. Figure 1 shows the sisal plant, manual and mechanical decortication of the fibre. The leaves were collected from a backyard. A wooden mallet was used to beat the fleshy leaf and loosen the fibres in the leaf. A blunt knife was used to scrape the outer layer of the leaf and separate fibres from the sap. Scrapping had to be done gradually starting from the tip of the leaf and moving along its length. The extracted fibres 23

4 Extraction of Natural Dyes from Locally Available Sources and their Application on the Extracted Sisal Fibres were cream-white in colour. They were washed to remove residual sap and dried. In another manual process the leaf was immersed in warm water for a week before scraping. Retting the leaves released a bad odour and the decorticated fibres were slightly grey in colour. The decortication process was however easier. Decortication of the fibre was also experimented by using the fibre extracting machine as seen in figure 1. The leaves were then fed into Vacoas fibre extractor machine. The machine consists of rotating blades that aided the beating process of the leaves. The machine only assisted in the beating process to loosen the fibres from the external layer of the leaf and brushed away some of the sap. The mechanical process had to be followed by manual separation of the fibres by scrapping off the extraneous materials. The decorticated cream-white fibres were thoroughly washed and dried. These were then used to dye with natural dyes. Figure 1: Fibre extraction The dyeing process involved three steps: preparing the fibres to be dyed by mordanting it before dyeing; extracting the dye from the dye stuff in a water bath; and heating the mordanted fibres in the water-based dye extract to produce a level colour and strong bond between the dye and the fibre. 24

5 A Vaidya Soocheta & J Gooroochurn 2.2 Dyeing with Natural Dyes Mordanting The extracted Sisal fibres as seen in figure 2 were washed thoroughly and dried. Alum (aluminium potassium sulphate) and cream of tartar (sodium tartrate) were used to mordant the Sisal fibre. 8% Alum and 7% Cream of Tartar were used on the mass of the fibre. Alum and the cream of tartar were dissolved in boiling water in a non-reactive container. The mixture was then added to a vessel with enough water to fully cover the fibre as seen in figure 2. The material liquor ratio (M: L) used was 1:30. The fibres were allowed to simmer at 80 C for 1 hour. After mordanting, the fibres were removed from the bath and excess solution dripped off. The mordanted fibres were used for dyeing with the extracted natural dyes. The mordanting process has to be immediately followed by dyeing of the fibres so as to avoid the mordant from being oxidised. Figure 2: Sisal fibre and mordanted fibre Extraction of dye The dyes for each source were extracted as per the standard recipes. General dye extraction procedure included crushing or chopping 10 g source material and heating in 300 ml water until near boil at 90 C. The solution was simmered for 1 hour to extract the dye from the source. The volume of the bath was maintained throughout the extraction process. The dye extracted solution was cooled, decanted and filtered. The mordanted fibres were dyed with various natural dyes. 25

6 Extraction of Natural Dyes from Locally Available Sources and their Application on the Extracted Sisal Fibres The mordanted fibres were used while they were in the wet state. This also enhances the dye absorbance and obtains uniform dyeing Dyeing with dye liquor Pre-mordanted Sisal fibres were added to the bath. General dyeing procedure was carried out for all the dye liquors extracted from various sources. The material to liquor ratio used was 1:30. Water was added to maintain the ratio throughout the dyeing process. Dyeing was carried out for 1 hour at 80 C. When dyeing process was completed, the fibres were rinsed and dried. The dyed fibres were tested for Pantone colour code, colour name, colour coordinates and light fastness. Table 1 shows images of the extracted dye solutions, dyed fibre and Pantone colour code with colour name for each of the sources used for dyeing the sisal fibres. Table 1: Dye source, Extracted dye, Dyed fibre and Pantone colour code 1. Source Dyeing Process, Dyed Fibre, Pantone Colour Code Onion Skin 2. Beetroot 26

7 A Vaidya Soocheta & J Gooroochurn 3. Carrot 4. Turmeric 5. Coffee 6. Tea 7. Acalypha Leaves 27

8 Extraction of Natural Dyes from Locally Available Sources and their Application on the Extracted Sisal Fibres 8. Henna 9. Basil 10. Egg Plant 11. Red Chillies 12. Hibiscus Flower 28

9 A Vaidya Soocheta & J Gooroochurn 13. Bougainvillea Flower 14. Dog s Tooth Grass 15. Red Grapes 16. Plum 29

10 Extraction of Natural Dyes from Locally Available Sources and their Application on the Extracted Sisal Fibres 17. Soil 2.3 Testing Colour Measurement The dyed fibres were examined for their colour using the pantone X-RITE CAPSURE RM200 as seen in figure 3. The power button is used to turn on the device. It is calibrated by closing the reference slider situated at the back and pressing the measure button at the side. The preferred paper fan deck (PANTONE FASHION + HOME) is activated by selecting from the different libraries available in the settings menu. These decks have colours that are referenced and included in the colour system. The device is 30

11 A Vaidya Soocheta & J Gooroochurn placed on the surface to be tested. The colour measurement tool accurately reads colour on the surfaces to produce a precise match with any of thousands of colours available from the electronic fan decks (RM200QC, 2012). The CAPSURE apparatus gives the colour name, colour code, RGB and Lab values of the dyed fibre samples Light Fastness The dyed fibre samples were tested for fastness to light using the light fastness tester of James. H. Heal & Co. The samples were partially exposed to the mercury bulb lamp that provides consistent daylight simulation as seen in figure 4. Figure 4: Light fastness test The changes in colour were assessed in a light cabinet using greyscale chart. The colour change was evaluated from the grey scale by giving appropriate grading. The samples were rated and compared with the standard scale of blue wool as presented in table 2. Table 2: Light Fastness Rating Degree of Fading Light Fastness Type Light Fastness Grade No fading Outstanding 8 Very slight fading Excellent 7 Slight fading Very good 6 Moderate fading Good 5 Appreciable fading Moderate 4 31

12 Extraction of Natural Dyes from Locally Available Sources and their Application on the Extracted Sisal Fibres Significant fading Fair 3 Extensive fading Poor 2 Very extensive fading Very poor 1 3 Results and Discussions The dyed fibres were examined for their colour using the pantone X-RITE CAPSURE RM200 as seen in figure 3. All the values were recorded by the CAPSURE apparatus with respect to the PANTONE colour library. TCX and TPX values given by CAPSURE are prefixes. TCX means Textile Cotton Extended version while TPX means Textile Paper Extended version. 3.1 Dye extracts, dyed fibre and Pantone colour code Table 1 shows images of the extracted dye solutions, dyed fibre and Pantone colour code with colour name for each of the natural source used for dyeing the sisal fibres. RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) and Lab values of the dyed fibre samples were recorded as seen in table Onion skin Brown dye liquor was extraction with onion skin. Dyeing with sisal fibres gave a colour code Pantone TCX Glazed Ginger Beetroot Dark blood red liquor extracted from beetroot resulted in the fibres showing Pantone colour Frappé and colour code Pantone TPX Carrot Carrot extract resulted in a light orange liquid. Dyeing with carrot resulted in the Pantone colour Safari with colour code Pantone TPX Turmeric A yellow liquid was obtained with turmeric. The substrate obtained a bright yellow colour on dyeing. Dyeing with powdered turmeric resulted in the colour Narcissus with colour code Pantone TPX Coffee Coffee granules gave a dark brown solution and dyeing resulted in the colour Lion with colour code Pantone TPX. 32

13 A Vaidya Soocheta & J Gooroochurn Tea Extraction of dye from dried tea leaves gave a dark brown liquid. The fibres obtained a brown shade. Dyeing resulted in the colour Rubber with colour code Pantone TPX Acalypha leaves Extraction of dye from Acalypha leaves gave a dark red liquor. During the dyeing process the colour of the substrate changed to green. Dyeing with the Acalypha leaf extract resulted in Pantone TCX colour code with Antique Bronze colour Henna A dark orange to brown liquid dye was obtained. During dyeing the substrate showed a brown colour. Dyeing with henna for one hour resulted in colour code Pantone TCX and Apple Cinnamon colour Basil leaves The extraction process resulted in a light brown liquid. Dyeing with basil leaves resulted in the colour Fennel Seed with colour code Pantone TCX Egg plant A dark purple to black liquid was obtained. The fibres were dyed with a very light purple shade. The fibre was only stained with the eggplant extract. The Pantone colour Eucalyptus with colour code Pantone TCX was observed Red chillies Extraction of dye from red chillies gave an orange liquid. The substrate was stained with the orange colour when dyeing was completed. Dyeing with red chilli resulted in the colour Sheep Skin with colour code Pantone TPX Hibiscus flower Hibiscus red flower, on extraction gave a dark purple liquor. During dyeing the fibre colour changed to blue. The mordanted fibres resulted in the colour Steel Gray with colour code Pantone TCX Bougainvillea flower Using bougainvillea flower to extract dye led to a pinkish red solution. However, on dyeing unexpected results were obtained as the fibres were dyed with a yellowish green colour. Dyeing with Bougainvillea flower resulted in the colour Celery with colour code Pantone TCX. 33

14 Extraction of Natural Dyes from Locally Available Sources and their Application on the Extracted Sisal Fibres Dog s tooth grass Extraction from Cynodon dactylon grass also known as dog s tooth grass was used for extracting the dye. The extracted dye was a yellow-green liquor. The fibre was of a yellow-green colour with Pantone Colour code TPX and colour Hemp Red grapes Extraction of dye from red grapes gave a dark red to purple coloured liquid. The substrate however was dyed with a violet colour. Dyeing with red grapes resulted in the colour Taupe Gray with colour code Pantone TCX Plum Dye extraction from plum resulted to a purple liquid. Upon dyeing, the substrate also obtained the purple colour. Dyeing with plum resulted in the colour Wistful Mauve with colour code Pantone TCX Soil Five different samples of soil were used to extract dye as seen in figure 5. Soil sample 1 resulted in a light brown liquor extract. Dyeing resulted in the colour Taffy with colour code Pantone TCX. Dye extract with the sample 2 gave a brown liquor. Dyeing the fibres resulted in the colour Cocoon with colour code Pantone TCX. Soil sample 3 extracted with brown soil resulted in a dark brown liquor. Fibres dyed with this extract resulted in the colour Pampas with colour code Pantone TPX. Dye extract with the grey soil sample 4 gave resulted in a grey liquor. The fibres showed Pale Khaki colour with Pantone colour code TCX. Extract from fifth red soil sample resulted in a brownish-red liquor. The fibres showed Caramel colour with Pantone colour code TCX. 3.2 Colour Co-ordinate Values of Dyed Fibres The colour co-ordinate values for all the dyes are given in table 3. RGB values are given in terms of percentage for a 2 observer at D65 light. Colour data of the dyed fibres were evaluated by means of CIE L*, a*, b*colour coordinates for 10 observer at D65 matching system where L stands for lightness/darkness, a for Redness/Greenness and b stands for Yellowness/ Blueness. 34

15 A Vaidya Soocheta & J Gooroochurn Tables 3: Colour co-ordinate values RGB D65 2 L*a*b* D65 10 Results Natural dyes used R G B L a b Onion skin 57 % 33 % 17 % Beetroot 82 % 72 % 63 % Carrot 72 % 66 % 55 % Turmeric 78 % 57 % 26 % Coffee 63 % 45 % 32 % Tea 51 % 38 % 26 % Acalypha leaves 56 % 47 % 33 % Henna 69 % 53 % 35 % Basil leaves 60 % 52 % 34 % Egg Plant 69 % 66 % 57 % Red chilies 86 % 71 % 56 % Hibiscus flower 45 % 44 % 44 % Bougainvillea flower 81 % 76 % 33 % Dog s Tooth Grass 77 % 71 % 50 % Red grapes 56 % 49 % 44 % Plum 58 % 42 % 45 % Soil sample 1 76 % 61 % 42 % Soil sample 2 79 % 70 % 49 % Brown soil sample 3 83 % 74 % 49 % Grey soil sample 4 75 % 69 % 57 % Red soil sample 5 76 % 49 % 63 % Light Fastness Test The fibre samples were tested for light fastness. Figure 5 shows the changes in colours observed when exposed to light. Dyes such as onion skin, tea and red soil showed slight fading while for turmeric, bougainvillea and plum dyes fibres showed significant fading. Acalypha leaves showed excellent light fastness. Table 4 presents readings for the degree of fading, light fastness type, and light fastness grade for each of the dye samples. 35

16 Extraction of Natural Dyes from Locally Available Sources and their Application on the Extracted Sisal Fibres Table 4: Degree of Fading, Light Fastness Type, Light Fastness Grade Natural Dyes Degree of Fading Light Fastness Type Grade 1. Onion skin Slight fading Very good 6 2. Beetroot Excellent Very slight fading 7 3. Carrot Good Moderate fading 5 4. Turmeric Significant fading Fair 3 5. Coffee Slight fading Very good 6 6. Tea Very slight fading Excellent 7 7. Acalypha leaves No fading Outstanding 8 8. Henna Moderate fading Good 5 9. Basil leaves Moderate fading Good Egg Plant Extensive fading Poor Red chilies Moderate fading Good Hibiscus flower Moderate fading Good Bougainvillea Significant fading Fair 3 flower 14. Dog s Tooth Grass Appreciable Moderate 4 fading 15. Red grapes Moderate fading Good Plum Significant fading Fair Soil sample 1 Slight fading Very good Soil sample 2 Slight fading Very good Brown soil sample 3 Slight fading Very good Grey soil sample 4 Slight fading Very good Red soil sample 5 Slight fading Very good 6 36

17 A Vaidya Soocheta & J Gooroochurn Figure 5: Light fastness test 4 Conclusion The leaves of Agave Sisalana plant being a renewable source and abundantly available, may be considered as a potential source of eco-friendly fibre in Mauritius. The current findings demonstrate that the extraction of natural colorants from various sources can be used for dyeing sisal fibres. Colouration of textiles are aimed to add value to the textile and make them attractive and desirable to consumers. Results show a range of colours can be obtained with natural dyes to dye sisal fibres. Designers can effectively use them as a creative tool. Natural dyes are preferred by environmentally conscious consumers and today there is a niche market for such textiles. Natural fibres and dyes are sustainable options that can also be suitable for small scale applications and craftsman contributing to increased job creation both in the agricultural and handicraft sectors. The strength of such projects is that they can develop local resources and contribute to the economic development of the country. In an increasingly environmentally conscious world, that encourages the growth of sustainable agriculture and products made from natural fibres such as sisal along 37

18 Extraction of Natural Dyes from Locally Available Sources and their Application on the Extracted Sisal Fibres with value addition with natural dyes are likely to be rewarded in the market place. 5 References Application of Natural Dyes, Classification of Natural Dyes, Eco Friendly Natural Dyes. (2016). [ONLINE] Available from: [Accessed on 20 February 2016]. BECHTOLD T, MUSSAK R (2009). Handbook of Natural Colorants John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN: ECOTEXTILES. (2016). Natural dyes. [ONLINE] Available from: [Accessed on 16 January 2016]. EL-NAGAR K., SANAD, S.H., MOHAMED, A.S., & RAMADAN, A. (2005). Mechanical properties and stability to light exposure for dyed Egyptian cotton fabric with natural and synthetic dyes. Polymer-plastics Technology and Engineering, 44(7), doi: / Future Fibres: Sisal. (2016). [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed on 10 January 2016]. GOODARZIAN, H, EKRAMI, E. (2010). Extraction of dye from madder plant (Rubia tinctorium) and dyeing of wool. World Applied Sciences Journal, 9(4), GULRAJANI M.L. (2001), Present status of natural dyes. Indian Journal of Fibre & Textile Research, 26:

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20 Extraction of Natural Dyes from Locally Available Sources and their Application on the Extracted Sisal Fibres Pantone CAPSURE Color Measurement Tools Pantone CAPSURE Color Measurement Tools. [Online] Available from: RM200QC. (2012). ColorAnalyzer on TechCorner Quality Digest Video [ONLINE] Available from: <www. YouTube.com [Accessed on 29 August 2015]. SAMANTA A.K., AGARWAL P. (2009) Application of natural dyes in textiles. Indian Journal of Fibre & Textile Research, 34(4): Natural Dyes Manufacturing (Extraction of Eco-Friendly. Dyestuff from Flowers, Leaves, Vegetables for Industrial Applications) Natural Dye Plants and Dye Plant Products, Plant Dyes to Serve as Colourants for Food and Textiles, Vegetable Dyes from Plant Sources. [Online] Available from: [Accessed on 11 March 2016]. Textile Learner. (2016). Sisal Fiber Properties of Sisal Fiber Uses/Application of Sisal Fiber. [Online] Available from: [Accessed on 14 February 2016]. The cloud forest adventure blog Sisal: Extracting the fiber. [Online] Available from: [Accessed on 20 February 2016]. Wild Colours natural dyes Learn how to use natural dye extracts. [Online] Available from: [Accessed on 11 March 2016]. 40

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