This study investigates the absorption behavior of natural dyes on silk fabric: madder roots (red dye) and amaltas (brown dye). The dyes were extracted under optimized conditions in an acidic medium. Binary mixtures of these dyes in different proportions were employed to develop various shades. This research work has explored the impact of single as well as binary mixture of chemical mordants on the dyeing behavior of natural dyes on silk. Al (Alum), iron (Fe), and tannic acid (T.A.) were used as pre- and post-mordants. Different concentrations of the dye mixtures were used to achieve different shades. The absorption behavior of the binary mixture of natural dyes was assessed using a spectra photometer Colori-spectra SF600. The study found that the highest color strength was achieved when an acidic extract with a table salt concentration of 2 g/100 mL was applied to silk fabric at 65 °C for 55 min and subjected to microwave treatment for 6 min. The study revealed excellent results for the selected binary mixtures of chemical mordants, such as (Al + Fe), (Al + T.A.), and (Fe + T.A.), in comparison by employing single mordants such as (Al, Fe, and T.A.).
Keywords: Amaltas; Binary mordants; Madder; Silk; Sustainability.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.