Sustainable Dyeing of Sugarcane Leaves-Cotton Blended Yarn with Dayak Onion ( Eleutherine americana ) Bulb Extract Using Eco-Friendly Mordanting Agents

Sugarcane leaves, which are significant agriculture residues from the globally important industrial crop, have potential as raw material for the sugarcane leaves-cotton blended yarn. The yarns were treated with hydrogen peroxide for bleaching and colored with natural color to create attractive, commercially viable textile materials. Natural dye extracted from Dayak onion bulb was used as green, sustainable and eco-friendly alternative in coloring yarn with and without alum, calcium chloride, and ferrous sulfate as mordants by using three mordanting methods, including pre-mordanting, meta-mordanting, and post-mordanting. Effects of these mordanting agents and methods on color parameters, color strength, and fastness properties of dyed yarn were investigated. Satisfactory color parameters in unmordanted dyed fabric indicated that yarn has a moderate affinity for the extracted dye. Using different types of mordanting agents and methods with natural dye produces a range of shades. Mordanting enhanced the color strength and color properties of dyed yarn. The satisfactory affinity of unmordanted yarn for Dayak onion bulb dye extract was enhanced and found to be very good for metal salt meta-mordanted yarn. The study established Dayak onion bulb dye extracts as nontoxic, abundant and sustainable coloring materials for dyeing yarn on an industrial scale.