Development of Antimicrobial and Insecticidal Silk Fabrics via Eco-printing with Natural Dyes from Agricultural Wastes

Nowadays, sustainability is greatly aided by natural colors in the textile industry rather than harmful and carcinogenic synthetic dyes. Due to heightened knowledge of the risks to the environment and human health involved with the manufacturing and use of synthetic dyes, there is a greater demand for natural dyeing and printing. In this work, we employed a green technique for eco-printing and dyeing silk fabrics using some agricultural wastes, which resulted in the formation of bioactive silk fabrics that inhibit the growth of microbes and insects. In dying and eco-printing experiments, onion outer skin (quercetin), rose, eucalyptus, lemon, grape, and peach leaves, which are utilized in the eco-printing method for silk printing, were used in the experiments. The colorfastness to washing, perspiration, and crocking was evaluated by AATCC 61-2020, AATCC 15-2013, and AATCC 8-2016, respectively. By utilizing iron (II) sulfate and alum as mordents, botanical eco-printing techniques have expanded the color spectrum, altered color shades, and enhanced color output. The infrared (IR) spectra of silk in all stages of dying and printing were measured to study the mode of binding between silk and natural dyes. The bioactivity of eco-printed silk was tested in light of its antimicrobial and insecticide activities. Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus cereus, Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, and Escherichia coli, were tested for antibacterial activity on eco-printed silk, and its efficacy was compared to that of undyed silk. The findings indicated that colored fabrics are effective because they exhibit a higher maximal inhibition area than undyed fabrics, with natural dye-drenched materials producing the highest level of inhibition (88%) against all isolated species. Dyed fabrics also demonstrated a respectable level of washing fastness. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) photos were collected after 5 and 10 days of incubation to track the growth of microbes on the textile surface. In addition, eco-printed silk outperformed undyed silk in its ability to repel Oryzaephilus surinamensis.