Role of cationic and anionic surfactants in textile dyeing with natural dyes extracted from waste plant materials and their potential antimicrobial properties

•Cationic surfactants have good effect on anionic natural dyes.•Alternative source to synthetic dyes.•Dyes possess antimicrobial properties. In the last few years, an increasing interest has been developed to the potential use of plant waste as raw material to produce natural dye for dyeing textiles due to environmental aspects. The current study deals with the solvent extraction of natural dyes from three native plant species such as Mangifera indica, Glochidion lanceolarium and Litsea sebifera, statistical analyses, and dyeing techniques on silk and cotton yarn using cationic and anionic surfactant. The dyed yarns displayed excellent antimicrobial activity against the bacterial strains for the development of antimicrobial textiles. The interaction of natural dyes with a cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, and an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonate, found to be significant. The colour strength of the dyed yarn using cationic surfactant was found to be better and higher than the anionic surfactant. From the dye absorption, it was observed that the dye intensity was enhanced with the increase in dye absorption by the yarns. The reports foresee developing a sustainable technology for utilization of waste bio-resources for the economic growth of the rural weaver's societies in India.