Sustainable functional finishing for cotton fabrics using chestnut shell extract

Owing to global environmental concerns, sustainable industrial processes have become a topic of significant importance in various fields. Chestnut shells are byproducts of agricultural and food industries; however, they include various health-beneficial compounds such as polyphenols and flavonoids. In this study, the feasibility of using chestnut shell extract as a natural functional agent for textile finishing processes was investigated. The chestnut shell extract was prepared by boiling the inner and outer shells of chestnut in distilled water for 4 h. Subsequently, the extract was filtered, centrifuged, concentrated, and finally dried into powder form using a freeze dryer. The extract was then dissolved in distilled water at different concentrations and applied to cotton fabrics through a pad-dry-cure process. The finished cotton fabrics were investigated by scanning electron microscope, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, etc. In addition, the antibacterial and antioxidant properties of the finished cotton fabrics were examined as functional properties. The results showed that the cotton fabrics finished by chestnut shell extract exhibited significant antibacterial, antioxidant, and deodorant properties when the concentration of the chestnut shell extract was above 10% (w/v) in the finishing bath.

Automated summary

The study showed that cotton fabrics finished with chestnut shell extract exhibited significant antibacterial, antioxidant, and deodorant properties when the concentration of the extract was above 10% (w/v) in the finishing bath.