Jute diversification through innovative dyeing technique

摘要

Government of India is emphasizing on increasing the use of jute in diversified value-added products like curtain, upholstery and soft-luggage and fancy dress materials for the interest of both jute growers as well as manufactures owing to substantial replacement of jute as packaging materials by the synthetic counterpart. From this year the manufactures have to face stiff competition in both domestic as well as export markets due to the open market policy. So innovation in processing of jute fabrics to create novelty, attractiveness and suitability for diversified end use has become most essential. In earlier day's jute in fiber, yarn or fabric form was generally dyed with direct, acid, basic dyes and with pigment colours in stray cases despite some known limitations in colourfastness properties. But for the special diversified value-added products good colourfastness and soft finishes with good dimensional stability are essentially required. Jute-cotton union fabric is one of the diversified products which can be satisfactorily processed in dyeing and finishing for aristocrat furnishing fabric and even for elegant apparel use like fancy jacket with good drape and soft handle respectively. Due to combination of 100 cellulosic and lignocellulosic fibers in union jute fabric, a scope of cross dyeing is pronounced to create novelty shade with good fastness properties by some special techniques which will make it resemble the fabric that has been woven with two sets of different coloured yarns. Also the treatments with some finishing agents will make the fabric suitable for outer garment use. The essence of processing lies in bleaching with hypochlorite solution in descending pH followed by metal elimination with oxalic acid and causticisation for increasing affinity in the subsequent processes. Cross dyeing with colours like reactive-acid, reactive-basic, vat-acid, acid-basic etc. has produced bi-colour effect. The dyed product has been finally treated with cationic softening agents followed by silicon emulsion. The result shows good light fastness and moderate to good wash fastness along with good drape-ability as compared to conventionally processed dyed fabric.