Digitally Printed With Natural Dyes
A dye refers to either synthetic or natural substances that are used to change or to add color of materials (Prabhu & Bhute, 2012). Substances with a significant capacity of coloring are used in production of textiles, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, paper industries, plastics, paints, and printing inks. There are about ten thousand different pigments and dyes that are industrially used today (Adrosko, 2012). Some of the different types of dyes used are food dyes, natural dyes, synthetic dyes, and others like laser or leather dyes. For instance, azo dyes constitute about 60-70% of the total organic dyes used in the world thereby being the biggest group of colorants (Shahid & Mohammad, 2013). Such dyes are used in different fields such as cosmetics, textile, and pharmaceutical industries. They are also used in paints, leather, paper, and food. Conversely, digital printing also uses such dyes making them quite significant in most industries .
In the recent past, the dyeing process in most industries has caught the attention of most people due to the emerging concept of eco-friendly variants and sustainability. According to Carmen and Daniela (2012), most of the chemicals used in the industrial processes pollute natural resources such as water, soil, and air. The effects of such pollutants are detrimental to both the lives of plants and animals. As such, most environmental organizations are advocating for environment friendly material in the manufacture of products.
Besides, as Adrosko (2012) explains, most of the artificial dyes used in digital printing are toxic, leading to environmental pollution. Use of such dyes leads to inappropriate discharge of waste. The waste released to the environment leads to respiratory problems and skin diseases to factory workers and other people who frequently encounter the materials. Some of the diseases caused have permanent damage of the body while others cause treatable illnesses
Until mid-nineteenth century, the dyes used for making textile products were made from natural materials.
The textile industry contributes to about sixty billion kilograms of fabric that are produced. Production of such materials uses large amounts of water which is approximately nine trillion gallons. During the dyeing process, there is loss of approximately 10-25% textile dyes. 2-20% of the dyes are as aqueous effluents in soil, or water thus contaminating them (Kant, 2012). The dyes lead to change of the color of water. As Kant (2012) explains, the dyes released form compounds that are mutagenic, carcinogenic, and toxic to the life of both plants and animals. Some of the carcinogenic substances include naphthalene and benzidine, among other aromatic compounds (Kant, 2012).
Use of dyes in printing has resulted to a lot of negative environmental impacts. Moore and Ramamoorthy (2012) argue that heavy metals found in colorants which have been consistently used in printing have been reduced in the last two decades due to their adverse effects on the environment. Even though measures are taken to reduce the use of such materials, most of them are still used today. For instance, chromate, titanium oxide, iron, and molybdenum are mostly used as pigments (Moore & Ramamoorthy, 2012). Brass and aluminum are used to make metallic inks while titanium oxide is used to make pearlescent pigments. Moreover, heavy metals pose adverse environmental consequences that should be avoided at all costs (Moore & Ramamoorthy, 2012). They leach into water leading to health issues in wildlife, humans, and aquatic plants. Another major problem especially to young children is inhalation of tiny metallic components (Al-Ghouti et al., 2010). An example is ground metals inhaled during manufacturing of ink.
As earlier discussed, dyes have a lot of negative environmental consequences.
Huge amounts of water are consumed in the textile industry due to finishing and dyeing operations. Waste water from such industries is the largest polluter of environment as compared to other industries. Rungruangkitkrai and Mongkholrattanasit (2012) note that inefficiency of the use of artificial dyes leads to the release of about 200,000 tons of waste. Increasing demand for clothes and other textile products lead to more production using artificial dyes thus increasing environmental pollution. Most of the dyes remain in water after treatment due to their high level of stability in chemicals, detergents, light, soaps, and temperature, among others (Rungruangkitkrai & Mongkholrattanasit, 2012). Artificial dyes resist degradation, thus, remain in the environment due to high photo and thermal stability.
This project helps to reduce such adverse environmental problems caused by use of artificial dyes by creating and designing digitally printed textiles using natural materials that are environment friendly. The use of natural materials and dyes is important because they are not only non-toxic but also safe. Dye plants can enter water bodies without forming toxins. Plants also do not produce waste when used as dyes. Water is also saved thus eliminating the release of pollutants in water bodies.
Objectives
– To develop a small sample range of natural environmentally friendly digital printing inks made from ingredients such as indigo (blue) and cochineal (red)
– To use a selection of mordents or ink recipes to explore and optimise the properties of the printed samples.
-To print colour samples and assess the aesthetic qualities of the digitally printed natural inks.
– To assess the advantages and disadvantages of using digitally printed natural inks on fabric, from a design perspective by looking at the resultant colour and quality of the fabric.
– To investigate the role of sustainable dyes on fabrics (cotton and polyester) in comparison to non-sustainable dyes on fabrics in terms of quality and colour.
– To create a collection designed in order to have interiors that could be made by natural dyes on fabric using digital printing.
Literature Review
Coloration
As Zarkogianni et al. 2011) explain, materials are dyed using natural dyes that are obtained through aqueous extraction of original insects/plants to reconstruct dyeing recipes and to optimize different stages such as mordanting, extraction, and dyeing. Some of the natural materials used to produce different colors include safflower, henna, cochineal, logwood, madder, brazilwood, indigo, and red sandalwood (Zarkogianni et al., 2011).
Damage
Most studies advocating for natural dyes do not discuss about toxicity of the materials and the process. According to
Extraction
Extraction of colors from natural dyes is an important process. Adrosko (2012) notes that different processes and methods are used for extraction of natural dyes. Some of the processes and methods applied include; aqueous extraction systems, extraction using non-aqueous methods and other systems supported by solvents, and extraction using systems supported by either alkali or acids (Adrosko, 2012). Such processes have different environmental impacts.
Preparation
The dyeing process involves a series of steps which must be carried out in a specific order to achieve the best results. Some of the different stages of dying materials include; dunging, washing, steaming, washing, galling, mordanting, and rinsing among others (Adrosko, 2012).
Color Fastness
Color fastness is an important factor to consider in dying because it determines the quality of colors produced. Zarkogianni et al. (2011) explain that color fastness refers to resistance of materials to changes in color, color characteristics or transfer of colorants to adjacent materials. Most natural dyes are not highly stable in presence of light unlike most synthetic dyes and are known to have moderate wash fastness (Zarkogianni et al., 2011). Natural dyes such as red sandal wood, jackfruit wood, and babool among others have moderate rub fastness.
Compatibility
According to Ibrahim et al. (2010), new types of shades can be achieved through application of a mixture of different types of natural dyes. It is important to understand the compatibility of different natural dyes. To test for compatibility, natural dyes, pre-mordanted, and bleached samples are dyed in different sets (Ibrahim, et al., 2010). Understanding compatibility of natural dyes results to making quality mixtures and production of attractive colors.
References
Al-Ghouti, M. A., Li, J., Salamh, Y., Al-Laqtah, N., Walker, G., & Ahmad, M. N. (2010). Adsorption mechanisms of removing heavy metals and dyes from aqueous solution using date pits solid adsorbent. Journal of hazardous materials, 176(1), 510-520.
Adrosko, R. J. (2012). Natural dyes and home dyeing (Vol. 281). New York: Courier Corporation.
Carmen, Z., & Daniela, S. (2012). Textile organic dyes–characteristics, polluting effects and separation/elimination procedures from industrial effluents–a critical overview. In Organic Pollutants Ten Years after the Stockholm Convention-Environmental and Analytical Update (pp. 55-81). InTech: Croatia.
Cañamares, M. V., Reagan, D. A., Lombardi, J. R., & Leona, M. (2014). TLC‐SERS of mauve, the first synthetic dye. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, 45(11-12), 1147-1152.
Kant, R. (2012). Textile dyeing industry an environmental hazard. Natural Science, 4(1), 22.
Moore, J. W., & Ramamoorthy, S. (2012). Heavy metals in natural waters: applied monitoring and impact assessment. Basel: Springer Science & Business Media.
Prabhu, K. H., & Bhute, A. S. (2012). Plant based natural dyes and mordants: A Review. J. Nat. Prod. Plant Resour, 2(6), 649-664.
Rungruangkitkrai, N., & Mongkholrattanasit, R. (2012, July). Eco-Friendly of textiles dyeing and printing with natural dyes. In RMUTP International Conference: Textiles & Fashion (Vol. 3, pp. 1-17).
Samanta, A. K., & Konar, A. (2011). Dyeing of textiles with natural dyes. Rijeka: INTECH Open Access Publisher.
Shahid, M., & Mohammad, F. (2013). Recent advancements in natural dye applications: a review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 53, 310-331.
Zarkogianni, M., Mikropoulou, E., Varella, E., & Tsatsaroni, E. (2011). Colour and fastness of natural dyes: revival of traditional dyeing techniques. Coloration Technology, 127(1), 18-27.
