Natural dyes are colors that are extracted from plants and insects. The dyes that I used were made from turmeric and blueberries. I expected the colors to be bright yellow and blue. Surprisingly the blueberry extract was purple and the turmeric gave a very deep yellow.
Here is my process:
Here are the results:
I also checked the pH of dyes and this is what results the pH strip gave in each solution:
Soda Ash made the dye very alkaline and hence made the solution much more darker. The turmeric dye solution turned red and the blueberry dye turned dark green. On the other hand tartaric acid made the solution acidic and very bright. Iron didn’t change the strip color vastly but made it a little more acidic.
Here are the colors of the fibers in each dye solution:
I really thought that the wool would pick up as much color as muslin but it was so fascinating to see the differences. Not only were the colors on wool faded and lighter but for some they were contrastingly different as well. I think rinsing them off made it lighter in the end. However in the end there were a few colors I really liked, especially the red, bright yellow and mint green on the muslin.
After finishing the dying, it was important that I didn’t simply drain the solutions because to do this small natural dye experiment I used water in different ways. It would have had the detergent, alum, lanolin, blueberry and turmeric residue along with iron, soda ash and tartaric acid. The solutions were acidic and alkaline and could add to water pollution so they needed to be neutralized before being disposed. I used vinegar for alkaline solutions and ammonium for acidic ones.
The soapy water goes the down the drain into wastewater treatment systems (municipal sewage treatment plants or septic tank systems). Two basic steps occur in the treatment of wastewater in both systems. The first treatment removes the solid material, such as grit or grease, from the wastewater by physical means; settling and flotation in tanks. The secondary treatment, removes the dissolved material by consumption by microorganisms; biological. This is called biodegradation. Biodegradation describes how organic (carbon-containing) detergent ingredients, like surfactants, enzymes and fragrances, are broken down into carbon dioxide, water and minerals by the action of microorganisms such as bacteria. This ensures that the aquatic life is not destroyed or hampered with.
