Extraction, Chemical Modification and Characterization of Turmeric Dye (Curcuma longa) and its Application on Cotton Fabric

Curcuma longa is a tropical plant whose rhizomes has been used to dye cloth since at least 2500 BCE but being a natural dye, it has poor to moderate fastness. In this study, an attempt was made to extract turmeric dye from Curcuma longa rhizomes and carry out its chemical modification by the choline chloride method to improve its fastness property when applied to fabrics. Turmeric dye was extracted from the rhizome using acetone and further crystallized with hexane to form the curcumin, the concentrated yellow dye. The characterization of the extracted dye and modified dye was carried out using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Dyeing of cotton fabric was carried out using the extracted dye and the modified dye. Fastness properties was also determined on the dyed fabric. Fastness properties of natural Curcuma Longa dyed cotton fabric ranged from moderate [2] to good [4] and that of modified Curcuma Longa dyed cotton fabric ranged from good [4] to excellent [5]. This indicate that the modified fabric has better fastness properties. Dye manufacturing from local plants should be supported using chemical modification to achieve better fastness properties on dyed fabrics.