Use of Tea and Tobacco Industrial Wastes in Dyeing and Antibacterial Finishing of Cotton Fabrics

Textile finishing processes cover a variety of steps in which various chemicals and methods can be used to functionalize the fabrics. The objective of this study is to investigate the usability of tea and tobacco industrial waste as natural dye sources and antibacterial agents for cotton fabrics. These wastes were collected from the related mills and used directly without previous extraction, as well as in extracted form. Dyeings were conducted at two different temperatures and the dyed samples were analyzed in terms of obtained colors, fastness values, and antibacterial efficiencies. Useful coloration of the cotton fabrics with sufficient fastness values was achieved, with bacterial reductions dependent upon treatment conditions. In general, waste from tea processing yielded better results.