Effects of a solvent system on the functionalities of wool and cotton fabrics finished in chestnut (Castanea crenata) shell extract

Chestnut shells are solid residues generated by the food industry and are mostly discarded as waste. However, chestnut shells are attracting much attention at present because they have many health-promoting compounds that exhibit antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Therefore, an attempt is made here to use chestnut shells as a means of fabric finishing to add functionality to fabrics. Chestnut-shell finishing solutions were extracted using three different solvent systems: a mixture of distilled water and 1,2-hexansdiol (97.5/2.5 wt%), a mixture of distilled water and 1,3-butanediol (50/50 wt%), and a mixture of distilled water and 1,3-butanediol (20/80 wt%). The three extracts were applied to wool and cotton fabrics using a pad-dry-cure process. It was found that the wool and cotton fabrics finished using the extract based on distilled water and 1,3-butanediol (50/50 wt%) showed the most significant antioxidant and antibacterial results from among the three extracts. This is presumed to have occurred because this extract contained a significant number of bioactive components, such as phenolic compounds (ca. 1.89 mg/mL) and tannins (ca. 22.04 mg/mL).