Ecological alternatives to conventional dyeing of cotton with reactive dyes

Abstract

Cotton dyeing is usually performed by reactive dyes by exhaustion method. Great quantities of salts and alkalis used in the formulation of dyeing bath eventually get into the watercourses and negatively affect the environment. In this work, studied are the possibilities of reducing salt and alkali concentrations in the dyeing bath in order to reduce water pollution after the dyeing process and soap washing. The obtained results show that the alternative procedures are environmentally more favorable, which is demonstrated by reduced values chemical oxygen demand. High level of dye fixation and fastness was achieved, while the colour intensity was slightly lower in comparison with standard samples.