Efficient mothproofing of wool through natural dyeing with walnut hull and henna against Dermestes maculatus

Abstract

There is a growing need for eco-friendly mothproofing property owing to stringent environmental regulations. One type of insects responsible for critical damage of the usual protein wool fabric is the hide beetle Dermestes maculatus. In this research, efficient mothproofing procedure is introduced through natural dyeing of protein wool fabric with walnut hull and henna as environmental friendly dyes. The wool fabrics were first mordanted with aluminum sulfate and then dyed with walnut hull and henna dyes. The mothproofing properties of control, walnut hull, and henna-dyed wool samples were evaluated statistically. Mothproofing was assessed through the study of damages on wool surface by the larvae of hide beetle, Dermestes maculatus, as feeding protein fibers and wool weight loss (%) were measured. The damage intensity of wool fabric surface was confirmed with scanning electron microscopy images. The analysis of variance was utilized to obtain the optimum conditions for mothproofing. Further, reflectance and absorbance of wool samples were reported. Finally, the experimental results indicated highest protection against Dermestes maculatus on the both walnut hull and henna-dyed protein wool.

Keywords:

• Dermestes maculates
• dyeing
• henna
• mothproofing
• walnut hull
• wool