Advances in Phytochemistry, Textile and Renewable Energy Research for
Industrial Growth – Nzila et al. (Eds)
© 2022 Copyright the Author(s), ISBN: 978-1-032-11871-0
Open Access: www.taylorfrancis.com, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license
Colorimetric study of natural dye from Beta vulgaris peels and pomace on
cellulosic substrate
Vincent Rotich*
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, School of Sciences and Aerospace Studies, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya
Phanice Wangila
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, School of Sciences and Aerospace Studies, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya
Department of Physical Sciences, School of Science & Technology, University of Kabianga, Kabianga, Kenya
Jackson Cherutoi
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, School of Sciences and Aerospace Studies, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya
ABSTRACT: Synthetic dyes are associated with carcinogenic, toxic, and allergic effects on humans and our
environment. Natural dyes have attracted attention globally because of their non-hazardous nature. Beta vulgaris
(Beetroot) plant wastes such as peels and pomaces are an unexploited resource. The present study involved
solvent extraction of natural dye from B. vulgaris peels and pomace, and its application on cellulosic fabrics
alongside natural mordants (alum and tannic acid) in comparison to metallic mordants (potassium dichromate,
ferrous sulfate, and copper sulfate) to improve the colour fastness of the cotton substrate and establish colour
strength equivalence (ceq) relating to synthetic Reactive Orange HER. In mordanting, the three methods (premordanting, simultaneous, and post-mordanting) were employed. Response surface methodology and central
composite design were used to optimize extraction and dyeing conditions, namely temperature, M:L ratio, time,
and pH. The optimized extraction conditions were M:L ratio of 1:20 and time of 11 hours. This resulted in a
moderate (40%) yield of natural dye from the plant, proving to be better than conventional methods. Optimized
dyeing resulted in temperature 55
C, time 75 minutes, and pH 6. The CIE L*, a*, b*, C*, and h
◦ values were
studied by standard methods. The dyed fabrics exhibited very good to excellent colour fastness test (light,
washing, rubbing, and perspiration fastness) in the range of 4–5 in gray scale. These findings reveal that B.
vulgaris peels and pomace can be potential alternatives to synthetic dyes in the colouration of cotton fabrics.
1 INTRODUCTION
Up to the late 19th century people were using natural
dyes for the colouring of textiles (Frose, Schmidtke,
Sukmann, Sukmann, & Ehrmann, 2018; Yusuf et
al., 2017). Europeans applied archaic dyeing technique involving sticking plants to fabric and rubbing
crushed pigments onto clothes (Ado, Yahaya, Kwalli,
& Abdulkadir, 2014). Synthetic dyes emerged when in
1856 a teenager William Perkin accidentally discovered a dye called mauve while trying to make quinine
in his home lab. People then liked synthetic dyes
due to the good repeatability of shade and brilliance
in colour performance (Stewart, 2017). The introduction of synthetic dyes led to an almost complete
displacement of natural dyes. Synthetic dyes have been
produced from non-renewable and non-biodegradable
petrochemicals.Approximately 30 million tons of dyes
are being consumed globally in textile industries, with
about 70,000 tons being released to the environment
∗ Corresponding author
(Yusuf, Shabbir, & Mohammad, 2017). According to
Business Week, humans who are allergic to textile auxiliary chemicals will rise by up to 60% by 2020 (Arora,
Arora, & Gupta, 2017; Chaudhry et al., 2019).
The interest in the use of synthetic dyes has reversed
and is in rapid decline due to the result of adverse
environmental effects. This has compelled many countries to impose sanctions against the synthetic dyes
as a result of the carcinogenicity, toxicity, and allergic reactions associated with them, such as toxic
amines (Li et al., 2015). Their visible residues in
effluents are also a menace to the ecosystem (Yamjala, Yamjala, & Ramisetti, 2016). In addition, costly
methods are employed to eliminate them from the
environment. More eco-friendly dyes are now being
developed to replace synthetic dyes that are toxic and
hazardous to health (Li et al., 2015). Researchers and
industrialists are actively involved in this ecological
revolution (Khan et al., 2014; Rather et al., 2016;
Uddin, 2015; Yusuf, Mohammad, Shabbir, & Khan,
2016). For instance, the German Act of 1994 forbidding azo dyes and some eco-labelling standards for
182
DOI 10.1201/9781003221968-25
Industrial Growth – Nzila et al. (Eds)
© 2022 Copyright the Author(s), ISBN: 978-1-032-11871-0
Open Access: www.taylorfrancis.com, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license
Colorimetric study of natural dye from Beta vulgaris peels and pomace on
cellulosic substrate
Vincent Rotich*
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, School of Sciences and Aerospace Studies, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya
Phanice Wangila
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, School of Sciences and Aerospace Studies, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya
Department of Physical Sciences, School of Science & Technology, University of Kabianga, Kabianga, Kenya
Jackson Cherutoi
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, School of Sciences and Aerospace Studies, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya
ABSTRACT: Synthetic dyes are associated with carcinogenic, toxic, and allergic effects on humans and our
environment. Natural dyes have attracted attention globally because of their non-hazardous nature. Beta vulgaris
(Beetroot) plant wastes such as peels and pomaces are an unexploited resource. The present study involved
solvent extraction of natural dye from B. vulgaris peels and pomace, and its application on cellulosic fabrics
alongside natural mordants (alum and tannic acid) in comparison to metallic mordants (potassium dichromate,
ferrous sulfate, and copper sulfate) to improve the colour fastness of the cotton substrate and establish colour
strength equivalence (ceq) relating to synthetic Reactive Orange HER. In mordanting, the three methods (premordanting, simultaneous, and post-mordanting) were employed. Response surface methodology and central
composite design were used to optimize extraction and dyeing conditions, namely temperature, M:L ratio, time,
and pH. The optimized extraction conditions were M:L ratio of 1:20 and time of 11 hours. This resulted in a
moderate (40%) yield of natural dye from the plant, proving to be better than conventional methods. Optimized
dyeing resulted in temperature 55
C, time 75 minutes, and pH 6. The CIE L*, a*, b*, C*, and h
◦ values were
studied by standard methods. The dyed fabrics exhibited very good to excellent colour fastness test (light,
washing, rubbing, and perspiration fastness) in the range of 4–5 in gray scale. These findings reveal that B.
vulgaris peels and pomace can be potential alternatives to synthetic dyes in the colouration of cotton fabrics.
1 INTRODUCTION
Up to the late 19th century people were using natural
dyes for the colouring of textiles (Frose, Schmidtke,
Sukmann, Sukmann, & Ehrmann, 2018; Yusuf et
al., 2017). Europeans applied archaic dyeing technique involving sticking plants to fabric and rubbing
crushed pigments onto clothes (Ado, Yahaya, Kwalli,
& Abdulkadir, 2014). Synthetic dyes emerged when in
1856 a teenager William Perkin accidentally discovered a dye called mauve while trying to make quinine
in his home lab. People then liked synthetic dyes
due to the good repeatability of shade and brilliance
in colour performance (Stewart, 2017). The introduction of synthetic dyes led to an almost complete
displacement of natural dyes. Synthetic dyes have been
produced from non-renewable and non-biodegradable
petrochemicals.Approximately 30 million tons of dyes
are being consumed globally in textile industries, with
about 70,000 tons being released to the environment
∗ Corresponding author
(Yusuf, Shabbir, & Mohammad, 2017). According to
Business Week, humans who are allergic to textile auxiliary chemicals will rise by up to 60% by 2020 (Arora,
Arora, & Gupta, 2017; Chaudhry et al., 2019).
The interest in the use of synthetic dyes has reversed
and is in rapid decline due to the result of adverse
environmental effects. This has compelled many countries to impose sanctions against the synthetic dyes
as a result of the carcinogenicity, toxicity, and allergic reactions associated with them, such as toxic
amines (Li et al., 2015). Their visible residues in
effluents are also a menace to the ecosystem (Yamjala, Yamjala, & Ramisetti, 2016). In addition, costly
methods are employed to eliminate them from the
environment. More eco-friendly dyes are now being
developed to replace synthetic dyes that are toxic and
hazardous to health (Li et al., 2015). Researchers and
industrialists are actively involved in this ecological
revolution (Khan et al., 2014; Rather et al., 2016;
Uddin, 2015; Yusuf, Mohammad, Shabbir, & Khan,
2016). For instance, the German Act of 1994 forbidding azo dyes and some eco-labelling standards for
182
DOI 10.1201/9781003221968-25