Investigation of Dyeing Synthetic Fabrics by Using Bacterial Colorants for More Sustainable Textile Production

Abstract

Polyester and polyamide fibers are the most commonly used textile fibre globally. For this reason, studies conducted on the production and dyeing of synthetic fabrics, especially polyester fabrics, have a significant environmental impact. In this study, it was aimed to put forward a more sustainable way to dye synthetic fabrics. Even if plant dyes are a good alternative for sustainable dyeing in the absence of synthetic dyestuff, the usage amount of plant dyestuffs is high and consistency is low. Bacterial dyeing can be a good alternative for more sustainable synthetic fabric dyeings due to consistent production and free of petroleum-based dyestuffs. Within the scope of this study, 100% polyester and %100 polyamide woven fabric were dyed using 3 different receipts with 3 different bio-colors, the most suitable dyeing methods were determined for both polyester and polyamide fabric. Quality control parameters were checked regarding color depth, washing and rubbing fastness. The findings reveal that polyamide fabrics have higher K/S values compared with polyester fabrics while dyeing with the same receipt and process. pH adjustment and adding salt are necessary to get better results for dyeing pink and brown polyester. Only adding dyestuff to the dyeing bath is enough to dye polyester in blue color. On polyamide fabrics, most suitable dye bath includes salt and pH is 4 to dye pink and brown. But for the blue color, adding salt and adjusting pH to 4 gives better results in polyamide fabric.