Sonicator dyeing of cotton with the leaves extract Acer pectinatum Wallich

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the efficiency of ultrasonication on new natural dye obtained from leaves extract of Acer pectinatum Wallich using metal mordant for good cotton dyeing prospects.Design methodology approach - For effective natural dyeing with leaves extract of Acer pectinatum Wallich, both conventional and sonication methods of dyeing were carried out using metal mordants. The purpose of using sonication was for improvement of dye uptake, improved dye adherence and good wash and light fastnesses. Results show marked improvement by the chosen dyeing method.Findings - The superiority of sonicator dyeing over conventional dyeing in terms of enhanced resource productivity and, as a result, reduced wastes establishes it as the best available technique in the natural dyeing industry. Use of sonicator shows marked enhancement for cotton dyed fabric. Typical bath liquor to fabric ratio for conventional dyeing varies from 20:1 to 15:1 and for sonicator dyeing from only 12:1 to 10:1, thereby reducing specific water and energy consumption by, respectively, 30 and 50 per cent. The cycle time for dyeing was also reduced by 50 per cent and this would make possible more tonnage of fabric per unit time and lower waste generation for the dyeing process. This would also result in improved capacity utilisation leading to enhanced productivity levels in the dyehouses.Research limitations implications - Although metal mordanting with copper sulphate and potassium dichromate is not ecofriendly, yet only 2 per cent of these metal salts have been used to prepare different shades with leaves extract of Acer pectinatum Wallich.Practical implications - The method developed for natural dyeing of cotton fabric using sonication in conjunction with metal mordanting has shown marked improvement.Originality value - The method developed for natural dyeing of cotton fabric using sonication in conjunction with metal mordanting has shown marked improvement in terms of dye adherence and fastness properties and can thus be recommended for industrial application.