Combination of ozone and ultrasound in pretreatment of cotton fabrics prior to natural dyeing

In the study it was aimed to show an alternative finishing process for cotton fabrics. The fabrics were pretreated with ozone and ultrasound combination instead of conventional energy intensive and chemical based finishing processes. Moreover the coloration of the pretreated fabrics was conducted by the use of plant based natural dyes. For this aim the extracts obtained from pomegranate peels, nutshell, orange tree leaves and alkanet roots were used. By this way it was planned to introduce an environmentally friendly finishing for the cotton fabrics and at the same time the usability plantal wastes in textile coloration processes were presented. It was observed that with the use of ozone gas and ultrasonic washing, sufficient pretreatment values with limited tensile losses could be obtained. Moreover it was found that by the use of tested plantal wastes the coloration of cotton fabrics can be managed. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.