Preparation of durable insect repellent cotton fabric: Limonene as insecticide

Limonene, an important insecticide, was applied to cotton fabrics as per the conventional impregnation and coating methods in addition to an innovative technology based on prior modification of the fabric via grafting with monochlorotriazinyl-β-cyclodextrin (MCT-β-CD). Emulsion of limonene and polymeric binder were used when the conventional methods were employed to place limonene in the fabric while inclusion of limonene fragrance in the cavities of β-cyclodextrin molecules constitutes the means of limonene fixation onto the fabric in the innovative technology. Bioassay test results expressed as repellency, knockdown and mortality were taken as a measure of toxic activity. The effect of washing and storing on the biocidal activity of fabrics treated according to the three aforementioned technologies was studied.