Eco-friendly colouring of fabric using prickly pear (Opuntia catcus) plant

Abstract

Eco-friendly textiles are those textile products which do not contain any hazardous or toxic substance and are biologically
degradable, so that they do not cause any damage to the environment. The Asian countries like India have a rich heritage and
tradition of using natural dyes obtained from natural sources, as they are eco-friendly for textile products. However, after the
discovery of synthetic dyes a steady decline in the use natural dyes has been noticed. The introduction of synthetic caused health
hazards as well as environmental pollution. Hence textile colourists have started using natural dyes for colouring fabrics. These
natural dyes exhibit better bio degradability and have better compatibility with the environment. In this colouring work, we have
used the fruits of Prickly Pear (Opuntia catcus) as natural dye. Fruits of prickly pear as natural dye which are available plenty in
India, can be used as ecofriendly textile product. This material has been evaluated to find the effects of biodegradability and
compatibility with environment in textile industries. Prickly pear fruits are crushed and then alum and turmeric as mordants are
mixed with it. Different kind of fabrics such as cotton, wool and polyester were coloured. The colored fabrics have been tested
for chemical and physical characteristics.