Modeling the Dyeing of Cationized Cotton Fabric using the Natural Dye Extracted from Spartium junceum L. Flowers

Due to high moisture absorption, comfort, and air permeability, cotton has been one of the most widely consumed fibers in the textile industry. In recent years, public awareness regarding environmental pollution has led to an increased inclination toward using natural dyes. Consequently, this paper investigates the effect of cationization and various dyeing process parameters on the color strength of cotton fabrics. The dye was first extracted from Spartium junceum flowers. Subsequently, cotton samples were dyed by varying four factors including the cationizing agent concentration (10, 25, and 40 g/L), pH (5, 7, and 9), temperature (55˚C, 75˚C, and 95˚C), and time (30, 60, and 90 min). Finally, the Color Strength (K/S – 440 nm) of the 81 dyed fabric samples was measured. The results showed that the color strength increases with increasing temperature, time, pH and concentration of cationizing agent in the range investigated in this study. The results of the Analysis of Variance demonstrated that all aforementioned factors have a statistically significant effect on color strength at a 90% confidence interval. Furthermore, using multiple cubic regression modeling, it was found that the color strength can be predicted as a function of the mentioned factors with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.88, allowing for an evaluation of its variation based on the independent variables. The optimal process conditions to achieve maximum color strength were determined to include using about 33 g/L of cationizing agent and performing dyeing at pH 9 and temperature 95°C for a period of 71 min.