Sustainability issues of ultrasonic wool dyeing with grape pomace colourant

In this study, the ultrasound technique was investigated to dye wool fabrics with the natural extract obtained from grape pomace as a way of reducing time, temperature and environmental impact. Indeed, this natural material was very rich in total polyphenolic compounds and total flavonoids (which are, respectively, 310 (mg GAE/L) and 75 mg (CE/L)). Further, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy showed that the major chemical groups identified in the extracted dye and in the dyed wool fabrics are characteristics of phenolic compounds. The experimental findings of the dyeing process showed that ultrasound method could improve obviously the dye exhaustion and fixation which resulted in improving considerably the colour yield (K/S) and the fastness properties of dyed fabrics compared to the conventional heating method.