Abstract:
Some of the synthetic dyes and mordants are harmful to the environment. The aim of this research was to
study the dyeing of cotton fabric using extracts from wild leek (Allium burdickii). The bark of mango tree
was used as a mordant. The pre-mordanting method was used and four treatments were investigated with
respect to exhaustion of the dye. These were: temperature, time, pH and concentration of mordant. Dye
exhaustion for 27 experiments was investigated by comparing the relationship between the independent
and dependent variables. The regression model obtained from the interactions was significant with an
R 2 value of 0.611. The effect of pH was insignificant while all the other three variables significantly
influenced exhaustion of dye. The optimised conditions for temperature, time and concentration of
mordant were: 60 0 C, 90 minutes and 28.18% owf, respectively. The fabrics showed acceptable fastness
properties ranging from 2/3-4/5 (fair to very good), 1.2-4 (slightly considerable to noticeable) and 4-5
(very good to excellent) for wash, perspiration and rubbing fastness, respectively.