Application of extracted colorant from a bimixture of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) and cutch (Acacia catechu) for cotton dyeing

The greener technologies, such as radiation treatment, are gaining worldwide fame due to their promising role in reducing effluent pollution. For the current study, two sources of catechin-based natural colorant in binary form have been appraised for cotton using a statistical approach. Dyeing variables were selected through central composite design under response surface methodology and at dyeing conditions, pre, post, and meta mordanting using eco-friendly anchors. It has been found that 25 mL of the binary extract of pH 9, having 2 g/100 mL of salt at 80?C for 55 minutes after microwave (MW) treatment up to 4 min, has given an excellent yield (K/S = 2.48). Using 1.5% of tannic acid (TA) before dyeing of cotton has given excellent colour strength up to 4.11 K/S, whereas using myrobalan extraction (2%) after dyeing of cotton with binary extract has given better yield (K/S = 2.85) with good colorfastness. It is concluded that a statistical approach in combination with the MW treatment should be used to explore the coloring behavior of plant dyes for cotton under selected conditions, and the addition of eco-friendly additives (mordants) should be used to get colorfast shades.