Sustainable Dyeing of Nylon 6 Fabric with Turmeric (Curcuma longa) Extract Using an Infrared-Assisted Exhaust Process
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Textile and Apparel Science, School of Design and Textiles (SDT), University of Management & Technology, C-II Johar Town, Lahore 54770, Pakistan
- 2Department of Textile Engineering, Daffodil International University, Daffodil Smart City, Birulia, Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh
- 3Institute for Fiber Engineering and Science (IFES), Research Cluster for Social Implementation (RCSI), Shinshu University, Tokida, Ueda City 386-8567, Nagano, Japan
- 4Department of Textiles and Clothing, School of Engineering and Technology, National Textile University Karachi Campus, Karachi 74900, Pakistan
- 5Department of Mechanical Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 13120, Republic of Korea
Abstract
The present study focuses on the dyeing of knitted polyamide (nylon 6) fabric using turmeric (Curcuma longa), a natural dye source, through an infrared (IR)-assisted dyeing technique without the use of mordants and chemical auxiliaries. In this process, a 1% (w/v) aqueous turmeric dye extract was prepared and then applied on nylon 6 fabric through an IR-assisted exhaust dyeing method under different dyeing conditions, including variations in liquor ratio, dyeing time and temperature. The dyed samples were investigated for color strength (K/S), colorimetric properties (L*, a*, b*, ΔE*), surface morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental analysis by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), antibacterial activities, antioxidant analysis and colorfastness (washing, light, and rubbing) properties according to standard testing protocols. The maximum K/S of 31.03 was observed under optimized conditions such as a liquor ratio of 1:30, a dyeing temperature of 110 °C, and a dyeing time of 60 min. The improved color strength was observed under optimized conditions such as a moderate temperature, a lower time and a high liquor ratio. SEM analysis revealed successful dyeing of nylon 6 without damaging the fiber surface morphology. The dyed samples showed good to excellent colorfastness properties, including rubbing (4–5), washing (4–5) and light fastness (5–6). The dyed fabrics also exhibited antibacterial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus (up to 87.46% reduction) and Escherichia coli (up to 79.08% reduction), and antioxidant activity of up to 75.15% in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Thus, the IR-assisted dyeing process for nylon fabric is a promising dyeing method to dye synthetic textile fabric using natural colorant without the use of dyeing auxiliaries.
Related
- Sustainable Synthesis of MgO Nanoparticles from Clerodendrum inerme Bast Fiber Extract: Physicochemical Characterization and Antibacterial Performance
- Silver-Bacterial Cellulose-Areca catechu Extract Nanocomposite Biofilm for Sustainable Food Packaging: Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity.
- Sustainable Corrosion Inhibition of Carbon Steel in Sulfuric Acid by Using Neolentinus lepideus Extract
- Microstructural, Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, and Fourier-Transform Infrared Analysis of Inorganic-Platelet Polymer Composites for Sustainable Infrastructure
- Nanoimprinted Infrared Metasurface Multispectral Filters for Neural‐Network‐Assisted Low‐Temperature Sensing
BibTeX
@article{anwar2026sustainable,
title = {{Sustainable Dyeing of Nylon 6 Fabric with Turmeric (Curcuma longa) Extract Using an Infrared-Assisted Exhaust Process}},
author = {Faiza Anwar and Imran Ahmad Khan and Asfandyar Khan and Kashif Javed and Nazmul Islam and Motahira Hashmi and Arsalan Ahmed and Fiaz Hussain},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31213850},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3850},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Sustainable Dyeing of Nylon 6 Fabric with Turmeric (Curcuma longa) Extract Using an Infrared-Assisted Exhaust Process
AU - Faiza Anwar
AU - Imran Ahmad Khan
AU - Asfandyar Khan
AU - Kashif Javed
AU - Nazmul Islam
AU - Motahira Hashmi
AU - Arsalan Ahmed
AU - Fiaz Hussain
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/25
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31213850
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3850
AB - The present study focuses on the dyeing of knitted polyamide (nylon 6) fabric using turmeric (Curcuma longa), a natural dye source, through an infrared (IR)-assisted dyeing technique without the use of mordants and chemical auxiliaries. In this process, a 1% (w/v) aqueous turmeric dye extract was prepared and then applied on nylon 6 fabric through an IR-assisted exhaust dyeing method under different dyeing conditions, including variations in liquor ratio, dyeing time and temperature. The dyed samples were investigated for color strength (K/S), colorimetric properties (L*, a*, b*, ΔE*), surface morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental analysis by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), antibacterial activities, antioxidant analysis and colorfastness (washing, light, and rubbing) properties according to standard testing protocols. The maximum K/S of 31.03 was observed under optimized conditions such as a liquor ratio of 1:30, a dyeing temperature of 110 °C, and a dyeing time of 60 min. The improved color strength was observed under optimized conditions such as a moderate temperature, a lower time and a high liquor ratio. SEM analysis revealed successful dyeing of nylon 6 without damaging the fiber surface morphology. The dyed samples showed good to excellent colorfastness properties, including rubbing (4–5), washing (4–5) and light fastness (5–6). The dyed fabrics also exhibited antibacterial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus (up to 87.46% reduction) and Escherichia coli (up to 79.08% reduction), and antioxidant activity of up to 75.15% in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Thus, the IR-assisted dyeing process for nylon fabric is a promising dyeing method to dye synthetic textile fabric using natural colorant without the use of dyeing auxiliaries.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -