Banana Pseudostem Sap as a Biomordant for Dyeing of Silk with Celosia Flower

This research paper is focused on the dyeing of silk fabrics with a natural dye extracted from Celosia flower and banana pseudostem sap as a biomordant. The dyeing process was carried out by three different techniques i.e. pre-, post-, and simultaneous mordanting method. The effect of dyeing process parameters namely mordant concentration, pH, and temperature on the dye absorption and fastness properties of dyed silk fabric have been investigated for each dyeing method. Optimal values of dyeing process parameters have been categorized based on the highest value of dye absorption in terms ofK/Svalue. Optimum mordant concentration was found to be 18 % for all sets of dyeing methods. The optimum pH was examined to be 4.5, 4.0, and 4.0 and dyeing temperature was 70 degrees C, 70 degrees C, and 65 degrees C for the pre-, post-, and simultaneous mordanting dyeing methods, respectively. The color fastness to light, washing, and rubbing of dyed silk fabrics was investigated. Fastness values of light and rubbing showed fair-to-good fastness level, whereas the color fastness to washing was found to be good to very good. The antibacterial activity of the banana sap mordanted and simultaneously dyed silk fabrics was evaluated. The dyed silk fabric exhibited moderate antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.