Dyeing of Carpet Woolen Yarn using Natural Dye from Cochineal

Abstract

Natural dyes from plant sources are preferred for coloration of woolen textiles and they give dark and dull colors. Development of a woolen carpet with elegant and vivid colors from natural dyes is still scanty. Natural dye from Coccus Cacti called cochineal was extracted by aqueous extraction method and applied on woolen yarn in presence of five different mordants in single and combination forms. Without mordanting, cochineal dye gave bluish purple color and after mordanting, it gave range of colors from scarlet red to black colors on woolen yarn. If two mordants are applied, the final color will depend on the chelating property of dominant mordant. The dominant mordant forms more amount of coordination complex preferentially with the cochineal dye than other mordants. Woolen yarn dyed with cochineal dye in presence of single and dual mordants, showed moderate (grade 3) to very good (grade 4–5) washing fastness and moderate (grade 5) to excellent (grade 7–8) light fastness properties. It is concluded that natural dye extracted from cochineal has potential to produce selective elegant colors on woolen yarn that can improve the aesthetic value of the woolen carpet.