Chickpea husk - A potential agro waste for coloration and functional finishing of textiles

In the reported work, the outer husk of chickpea, an abundant agro-industrial processing residue available in India, was used to extract textile grade dye. The functional groups present in chickpea extract were analysed by phytochemical analysis and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The extract was used to impart colour to cotton, silk and wool fabric at different temperature without any auxiliaries. The colour value of the dyed fabrics were analysed with computer colour matching system. The results show that the colour extracted from chick pea is having more affinity to protein fibre than cellulosic fibre. Treated fabrics showed a good dye uptake and adequate wash, light and rubbing fastness properties. The coloured fabrics exhibited good ultra violet protection property and excellent resistance against S. aureus and E. coli bacteria. Since no chemicals were used for colouration, the process is totally eco-friendly and can be adopted for small and mediums scale garment export industries.