Natural dyeing with black cowpea seed coat. I. Dyeing properties of cotton and silk fabrics

A new trial to determine the dyeing properties of cotton and silk fabrics with a black cowpea seed coat as crop waste was investigated. The natural dye anthocyanins were extracted from a black cowpea seed coat in an aqueous solution and used to dye silk and cotton. The optimal conditions for colorant extraction were an aqueous solution of a dried seed coat of black cowpea in a 1:10 liquor ratio at 70 °C for 4 hours with pH of 4. The best dye-uptake of silk and cotton fabric were obtained when the pH was 3.5 and 3.0 respectively, the temperature was 80 °C for 1 hour and the liquor ratio of black cowpea was 1:20. Different colors as dusky brown, brown, faint yellow, light green, reddish brown, cyan and green could be obtained using a various kind of mordants. The depth and brightness of color tones were affected by different dyeing and mordanting pH conditions. The colors of the fabrics were examined using a computer color matching system in terms of the K/S values and CIELAB color-difference values. The dyeing was evaluated using standard light, wash and heat fastness tests. Good wash and heat fastness were obtained but the poor light fastness indicated the need for improvement to fulfill the requirement for textile applications.