Sustainable dyeing of wool fabric with Talaromyces purpurogenus

Abstract

Natural dyes had been used by human being since ancient times for colouring of various materials including textiles. These were replaced completely by synthetic dyes, continuous use of which created the problem of pollution and environmental degradation. With the development of green technology and increased awareness of sustainability, the use of non-allergic, non-toxic and eco-friendly natural dyes on textiles has become a matter of significant importance. Among the natural sources of colourants, microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi have gained interest in the field of textile coloration. In the present study, the pigment solution yielded from growth of Talaromyces purpurogenus sp. on organic waste was used for dyeing of wool fabric. Under the dyeing conditions i.e. 1:30 M:L ratio, pH 5, 80º C temperature and 45 minutes dyeing time, the percent absorption could reach 57 %, 32%, 36% and 49% respectively. The wool fabric samples dyed with the fungal dye exhibited very good to excellent washing and rubbing fastness properties. The colour pigment obtained from fungal thus offered an opportunity to reduce impact on plant resources for dye source exploration. So it can be concluded from the study that a natural fungal dye could help to sustain the environment and to minimize the over exploitation of natural resources.