Extraction of polyphenolic dyes from henna, pomegranate rind, and Pterocarya fraxinifolia for nylon 6 dyeing

Acid and disperse dyes are two well-known synthetic materials that are primarily used for dyeing of nylon 6 fibres. Despite their good performance, several negative impacts on the environment, including air and water pollution, are major concerns to researchers. An alternative ecofriendly approach to the dyeing of nylon 6 is the use of natural dyes, given their abundant natural sources, biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity, non-allergic responses, and non-carcinogenic effects on human life. Based on these advantages, we extracted polyphenolic dyes from henna leaves, pomegranate rind, and Pterocarya fraxinifolia leaves and studied the dyeability on nylon 6 fabric using three compounds of aluminium sulfate, tannic acid, and tin chloride as toxic and non-toxic mordants before dyeing. Fourier transform infrared spectra of the nylon 6 fabric confirmed the coordination complexes and - bonding between the mordants and the dyes. Colorimetric and fastness results showed that the mordants increased the colour strength and improved the fastness properties of the fibres. Our results suggest that tin chloride and aluminium sulfate as metal mordants can be successfully replaced with tannic acid as a biomordant in the natural dyeing of nylon 6. Also, cost assay showed that dyeing of nylon 6 with extracted natural dyes from waste leaves could be a sustainable and economical substitute for synthetic dyeing.