AQUEOUS ALKALINE SOLUTION AND USE OF THE AQUEOUS SOLUTION IN PROCESS FOR DYEING CELLULOSIC FIBER MATERIAL

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an aqueous alkaline composition capable of being added to a solution containing fiber-reactive dyes, improving the stability of a padding solution, and not so much increasing a time for fixing the dyes to fibers. SOLUTION: This aqueous alkaline composition contains sodium hydroxide and potassium carbonate in a molar ratio of 1:1.7 to 1:0.5. The method for using the aqueous alkaline solution comprises mixing the aqueous alkaline composition with an aqueous solution containing one or more fiber-reactive dyes, impregnating cellulosic fiber materials with the obtained alkali-dye mixed dyeing solution by a conventional method, and finally fixing the above fiber- reactive dyes to the fiber materials under ordinary process conditions for the fiber-reactive dyes. Since the alkaline composition can be easily mixed and dissolved in the dye-containing solution in a small amount and even by few steps to form a padding solution, the dyeing procedures can be easily and continuously accomplished by the use of the composition.