Exploring the Environmental Sustainability of Plant-Based Dyes from Megathyrsus Maximus Leaves: Extraction and Application on Textile

The intriguing use of natural dyes has grown rapidly owing to the fact that natural dyes are environmentally friendly. The objective was to extract and apply natural dyes on textile fabrics that offer viable alternatives to synthetic dyes. The Soxhlet extraction process using ethanol and an aqueous solution of optimal solvent (ethanol/water, 140:60 v/v) was employed to extract dyes from the plant. Concentration of the extract was then carried out using rotary evaporation at 40°C to obtain the crude dye extract. Among the two solvents used for extraction, the aqueous solution of the optimal solvent extract of the plant dye showed an absorbance value of 1.607 at a temperature of 80°C with a 27.475 extraction yield, while ethanol had an absorbance value of 1.804 at the same temperature with a 30.4 extraction yield within the wavelength of 200-800 nm. The crude extract was simultaneously applied to the dyeing of cotton and wool fabrics with mordants such as ferrous sulphate, alum, and copper sulphate. The amount of natural dyes exhausted and fixed on the fabrics was evaluated at different times using UV-visible spectrophotometry. The rate and degree of dye fixation on the fabrics increased notably by prolonging the dyeing time. The perspiration fastness, light fastness, and wash fastness properties were evaluated; the results reveal fair to very good with a rating range (2-4) for both wash and perspiration fastness, while for light fastness, moderate to very good with a rating range (4-6) on the dyed fabrics. The colourfastness grades of these fabrics depict an excellent result. Thus, the application of M. maximus dye extract on other textile substrates such as nylon, polyester, and acrylics is therefore recommended for further study.