Home / Current Issue / Paper 1715886
Dyeing of Silk Thread with Natural Dyes: Assessment of Colour Fastness, Dye Uptake, and Mordant Efficacy
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Silk Thread with Natural Dyes
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I8-1715886
Abstract
Natural dyeing of Bombyx mori silk thread was explored using four plant-based dyes turmeric (Curcuma longa), henna (Lawsonia inermis), indigo (Indigofera tinctoria), and pomegranate rind (Punica granatum). To see how dye performance could be improved, three mordants were tested: alum (potassium aluminium sulphate), ferrous sulphate, and copper sulphate. Their impact was evaluated in terms of colour depth (K/S values), as well as wash, light, and rub fastness, following ISO standard methods.The silk samples used in the study were sericin-degummed, 100% mulberry silk (14 momme), and dyeing was carried out using the exhaust method at 60°C. Among the combinations tested, turmeric with alum showed the highest dye uptake, with a K/S value of 18.7. On the other hand, pomegranate rind with ferrous sulphate gave the best wash fastness, scoring between 4 and 5 on the standard 1–5 scale. Light fastness showed noticeable variation across the dyes indigo performed relatively well with a rating of 4, while turmeric had the lowest rating at 2. Overall, the findings suggest that natural dyes, when used with suitable mordants, can produce silk fabrics with colour fastness levels that are acceptable for commercial use. This supports the growing interest in more sustainable and eco-friendlier textile dyeing methods.
Keywords
Natural dyes, Silk dyeing, Mordants, Colour fastness, K/S value, Curcuma longa, Indigofera tinctoria, Eco-textiles, Bombyx mori, Sustainable dyeing
References
[1] Balfour-Paul, J. (1998). Indigo: Egyptian Mummies to Blue Jeans. British Museum Press, London.
[2] Burkinshaw, S.M. (2016). Physico-chemical Aspects of Textile Coloration. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford.
[3] Gupta, D., Jain, A., and Panwar, S. (2012). Dyeing of silk with pomegranate (Punica granatum) rind extract. Journal of Natural Fibres, 9(4), 210–224.
[4] Kamel, M.M., El-Shishtawy, R.M., Yussef, B.M., and Mashaly, H. (2005). Ultrasonic assisted dyeing III. Dyeing of wool with henna. Dyes and Pigments, 65(2), 103–110.
[5] Kulkarni, S.S., Gokhale, A.V., Bodake, U.M., and Pathade, G.R. (2011). Cotton dyeing with natural dye extracted from pomegranate (Punica granatum) peel. Universal Journal of Environmental Research and Technology, 1(2), 135–139.
[6] Prabhu, K.H., and Bhute, A.S. (2012). Plant based natural dyes and mordanted: A review. Journal of Natural Product and Plant Resources, 2(6), 649–664.
[7] Rehman, F., Adeel, S., Zia, K.M., Zuber, M., and Bhatti, I.A. (2018). Sustainable development in textile dyeing. Colourage, 65(6), 42–55.
[8] Samanta, A.K., and Agarwal, P. (2009). Application of natural dyes on textiles. Indian Journal of Fibre and Textile Research, 34(4), 384–399.
[9] Sharma, R., Arya, S., Kambo, N. (2025) Innovative utilization and management of Eri-Culture waste for sustainable developement. International Journal of Entomology Research. 10 (10): 88-96. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17466324
[10] Tonnesen, H.H. (2002). Solubility, chemical and photochemical stability of curcumin in surfactant solutions. Pharmazie, 57(12), 820–824.
[11] Vankar, P.S., Shanker, R., and Verma, A. (2008). Natural dyes for cotton: An approach for sustainability. Indian Journal of Natural Fibres, 5(1), 24–33.
[12] Yusuf, M., Shabbir, M., and Mohammad, F. (2017). Natural colorants: Historical, processing and sustainable prospects. Natural Products and Bioprospecting, 7(1), 123–145.
How to cite this paper
@article{1715886,
author = {Govind Bhargava, Neelu Kambo, Sunita Arya, Shraddha Shukla},
title = {Dyeing of Silk Thread with Natural Dyes: Assessment of Colour Fastness, Dye Uptake, and Mordant Efficacy},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {9},
number = {8},
pages = {2517-2524},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1715886.pdf},
abstract = {Natural dyeing of Bombyx mori silk thread was explored using four plant-based dyes turmeric (Curcuma longa), henna (Lawsonia inermis), indigo (Indigofera tinctoria), and pomegranate rind (Punica granatum). To see how dye performance could be improved, three mordants were tested: alum (potassium aluminium sulphate), ferrous sulphate, and copper sulphate. Their impact was evaluated in terms of colour depth (K/S values), as well as wash, light, and rub fastness, following ISO standard methods.The silk samples used in the study were sericin-degummed, 100% mulberry silk (14 momme), and dyeing was carried out using the exhaust method at 60°C. Among the combinations tested, turmeric with alum showed the highest dye uptake, with a K/S value of 18.7. On the other hand, pomegranate rind with ferrous sulphate gave the best wash fastness, scoring between 4 and 5 on the standard 1–5 scale. Light fastness showed noticeable variation across the dyes indigo performed relatively well with a rating of 4, while turmeric had the lowest rating at 2. Overall, the findings suggest that natural dyes, when used with suitable mordants, can produce silk fabrics with colour fastness levels that are acceptable for commercial use. This supports the growing interest in more sustainable and eco-friendlier textile dyeing methods.},
keywords = {Natural dyes, Silk dyeing, Mordants, Colour fastness, K/S value, Curcuma longa, Indigofera tinctoria, Eco-textiles, Bombyx mori, Sustainable dyeing},
month = {February},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I8-1715886}
}