Natural Liquid Dyestuff from Wastewater of Gambier Processing (Uncaria gambir Roxb) as Textile Dye

Abstract

Wastewater of Gambier (Uncaria gambier Roxb) is a byproduct of pressing gambier leaves used for textile dyes. This wastewater cannot be stored for a long time to ease the moldy and rot process. The use of textile dye directly requires several long process steps. The study's purpose was to make a natural liquid dyestuff from gambier wastewater using varying mordant concentrations and test the quality of the dyestuff on cotton fabrics. The gambier wastewater was reacted with the FeSO 4 mordant to form a concentrated liquid used directly to dye textiles in a rapid and straightforward process. The study investigated varying the concentration of the FeSO 4 mordant from 1 to 5% (by weight). The reaction between wastewater and mordant was conducted while being stirred at 300 rpm and 70 o C for 30 minutes. It was generated a dark green liquid dyestuff. The concentration of FeSO 4 influenced the color strength (K/S) of the dyestuff and resulted in K/S values from 2.49-3.70. This dyestuff-colored cotton cloth a greenish-grey color. The resulting color depth depended on diluting the dyestuff with K/S values ranging from 6.34 to 12.64. The color fastness against washing, sunlight, and rubbing varied from reasonably good (2-3), good (4), and very good (4-5). It was observed that after a year of storage, the dyestuff retained its color, was stable and showed no visible sign of mold contamination, and was still able to dye the fabric effectively.