Extraction of Natural Dye from Osyris Quadripartita and Application in Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics

Natural dyes are widely used in the coloring of food, leather and wood [1]. Traditionally they were the only colorants for textile fibers like wool, silk, cotton and flax. Their use in textiles declined drastically with the introduction of synthetic dyes in 1856 [2-6]. Presently the use of synthetic dyes is estimated at around 10,000,000 tons per annum [7-11]. The manufacture and use of this large quantity of dyes give rise to sizeable amounts of waste and unfixed colorants creating serious health hazards and distressing the eco-balance of nature [12]. Currently, the heighten consciousness about environmental has had the effect in the imposition of strict eco-standards in several parts of the world in reaction to harmful reactions connected with synthetic dyes [13]. For this reason, there has been a growing demand for natural dyes in the past few decades [14]. The sources of natural dyes are diverse which include timber and food industry wastes [15]. A number of studies have been done comparing the use and performance of natural against synthetic dyes on wool and silk [12,16] and cotton [17,18]. Nevertheless, natural dyes are not readily obtainable due to few organized manufacturers and non-standardization of raw material and production process. The process of application is intricate thus further hindering the use of natural dyes.