Application of natural dyes on diverse textile materials

While common textile dyeing processes are responsible for a large amount of residues in the wastewater from textile finishing companies, dyeing with natural dyes becomes more popular in the last time. In this way, not only water can be saved and water pollution avoided, but a broad spectrum of colors can be reached, opening new possibilities for textile designers. On the other hand, natural dyes are usually less intense and more prone to bleaching due to mechanical impact, washing or UV irradiation. Here we give an overview of different combinations of natural dyes used for dyeing diverse textile materials with and without pretreatment of the textile fabric. The resulting fabrics show a broad range of colors, depending mostly on the textile material and in some cases also on the pretreatment. While washing and UV treatment show a relatively small influence, Martindale abrasion tests changed some of the colors significantly.