Sericin assisted eco-friendly reactive dyeing for cotton fabric

A large amount of salt has been used in reactive dyeing of cotton. In this study, the reduction in the amount of salt used in reactive dyeing of cotton fabric after the sericin application by different methods was investigated in detailed. The effects of different cross-links (citric acid and butane tetracarboxylic acid) for the bonding of the sericin to the cotton fabric were also investigated. The results were evaluated in terms of color coordinates and color strength, washing and rubbing fastness, and crease recovery angle. Presence of the sericin onto cotton fabric after the application was evidenced with FT-IR spectra. The application of sericin and subsequent dyeing resulted in similar color depths to the conventional dyeing even with half the salt used in conventional reactive dyeing. The presence of cross-links in the pre-treatment baths did not reveal significant differences in color strengths compared to used only sericin. The fastness values of reactive dyed fabrics after sericin application had similar fastness values with traditional dyed ones. Crease recovery angles showed an increase after sericin pre-treatment. Sericin application before reactive dyeing could be one of the best alternative ways to reduce salt usage in reactive dyeing. [GRAPHICS] .