Investigation of the Possibilities of Using Rhaponticoides Iconiensis in Wool Dyeing

Recently, many scientists have been struggling to identify natural dyestuff sources from different plants, especially for dyeing of textile materials such as wool and cotton. One of these struggles was carried out in this paper. The aim of this study was made to reveal R. iconiensis (hub.-mor.) M.V.Agab. & Greuter plant used as a source of natural dyes. In this study, both plant's flowers and stems have been used separately for the dyeing of wool fabrics. These parts of plants were collected in the summer and separately dried, then milled and powdered and then used as a dyeing material in the dyeing of woollen fabrics via five (Fe, Cu, Al, Cr, Sn) different metal salts. All the dyeing processes were carried out for one hour at boiling temperature. Subsequently, CIE L*a*b* and K/S values of dyed wool fabrics were examined for colour strength. Various colour fastness tests, such as rubbing, washing and light fastness of dyed fabrics, have also been made. In the light of the obtained data, it was seen that R. iconiensis plant could be a natural dyestuff for wool materials.