I N

C O O P E R AT I O N

W I T H

T H E

DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLGY

Powder Dye from

Coconut lumber
Sawdust
ABSTRACT
The high cost of producing synthetic dyes
for the textile industry calls for alternative sources.
This project aimed to produce powder dye from
coconut lumber sawdust.
Coconut lumber sawdust was obtained from
a lumberyard. Moisture content of the sawdust was
analyzed and the sawdust was divided into replicates
of 400 grams each. Two of the replicates were boiled
in water for one hour while the other two were
boiled for two hours. The filtrates from the setups
were dried to produce the dye.
Percentage yield was determined. The dyes
were tested on silk and cotton cloths using alum
and copper sulfates as mordants. The dyed fabrics
were then washed in soap and were graded for degree
of bleeding and staining on a multifiber strip. The
dyes had greater affinity to silk than cotton. Copper
sulfate is a better mordant for the dye than alum.
The extraction method of boiling for one hour was
found the more practical method since it took a
shorter time.
INTRODUCTION
Dyes are used to give color to other materials
such as fibers, leather, wood, food, and paper.
From prehistoric times until the mid-18th
century, dyeing was done with natural substances.
Natural dyes were obtained from madder root,
indigo-bearing plants, and other plants. By the end of the 19th century,

Sir William Perkin extracted the first synthetic dye.

This marked the end of natural dyes as commercial
dyes and started the widespread use of synthetic dyes.
The Philippine textile industry uses
commercial synthetic dyes. These dyes are very
expensive and affect the prices of garments. However,
we should realize that our country has vast natural
resources which we can tap for sources of natural
dyes.
The qualities of a good dye include
colorfastness, stability during washing, and color
intensity. This study determined the feasibility of
producing dye from coconut lumber sawdust. We
also tested the quality of the dye extracted by using
it on two different fabrics, silk, and cotton.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Of the hundred of natural dyes discovered,
only a few achieved commercial importance. These
include dyes such as maclurin and murin. Both are
from fustic wood. Catechin from cutch, curcumin
from roots and shoots of Curcuma tinctura and
quercetin from quercitron bark are other natural dyes.
Crocetin and bixin are used to a limited extent as a
dyestuff (Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia, 1964). Crocetin
is taken from saffron, while bixin is from the seeds
and pulp of Bixa orellana.
Dyestuffs play a vital role in textile and allied
industries. The absence of local manufacturer of
synthetic and natural dyestuffs forces the Philippines to import about
$20 million worth of dyeing, tanning, and printing dyestuff annually.

FRESHMAN

15

The Philippine Textile Research Institure (PTRI), in a bid to

reduce importation of dyestuff and utilize indigenous materials, works
on local materials as potential dye sources. PTRI has developed a
technology that produces dyestuffs of superior affinity to silk and
wool. The dyes have been applied to cellulosic materials such as
ramie, cotton, and abaca. Most of the dyestuffs produced from
indigenous plants require the use of mordants (Fernandez and De
Gusman, 1990).
Mordants are metallic compounds that combine with dyes to
prevent them from dissolving easily. They make the color of the dye
last longer. Certain mordants act directly on the fibers, making them
more susceptible to the dye. Other mordants form a complex with
the dye, making the dye more effective.
Several local plants have been tested for their potential as
sources of dyes. Bougainvillia flowers, camotetops, ipil-ipil leaves,
onionskins, talisay leaves, camachile bark, and guava leaves have
been tested. Not all plant dyes showed a capacity to retain their color
on the fabric.
MATERIALSAND METHODS
Coconut lumber sawdust was obtained from a coconut
lumberyard. Ten grams of sawdust were placed under a five-watt
incandescent light to determine its moisture content. The sawdust
was weighed and divided into replicates of 400 grams each.
To each replicate, one liter of water was added. Two methods
of extraction were used. Method 1 used a proportion of 200g sawdust
to 1 liter water boiled for one hour. Method 2 used the same ratio of
sawdust to water boiled for two hours.
After boiling, the filtrate was separated from the insoluble
sawdust. This filtrate was dried and served as the dye powder. The
yield from each method was analyzed to determine which method
gave the higher yield.
The powder dye was then mass produced. It was tested on
wide strips of silk and cotton obtained from PTRI. Two groups of
the fabrics were mordanted with alum. The cloth was placed in the
mordant solution and heated for an hour. The other group of cloth
was mordanted with copper sulfate weighing 5% of the cloth to be
mordanted. These were heated for one hour. After mordanting, the
cloths were squeezed dry.
Powder dye, in equal weight as the cloth to be dyed, was
dissolved in water in a 30:1 ratio. The fabric to be dyed was then
placed in the dye solution and allowed to stain. It was later taken out
of the dye solution and left in a cool dry place to dry.
Bleeding test was performed on one-half of the dyed fabric.

16

FRESHMAN

The fabric was cut into half. A multi-fiber strip was baste stitched to
one of the cloth halves. This cloth was washed in a 50:1 soap solution.
Then it was rinsed in warm water and dried. The cloth was compared
to the unwashed half for extent of color bleeding. The cloth was
graded according to the system of the PTRI, as follows:
5 minimal to no bleeding / staining
4 slight bleeding / staining
3 noticeable bleeding / staining
2 considerable bleeding / staining
1 much bleeding / staining
RESULTSAND DISCUSSION
The percentage yields for the two extraction methods were
low. See Table 1. This may be due to the high moisture content
(67%) of the sawdust. The 400g of sawdust weighed was mostly
due to the moisture.
The dye produced from Method 1 was darker than the dye
from Method 2. It had a greater staining property on the cotton.
However, the dyed cotton bled, particularly with the dye produced
from Method 1.
When tested on silk, the dye of Methods 1 and 2 produced the
same results. Slight to no bleeding and staining were observed in the
cloths after they were washed.
The dye had a greater affinity to silk than cotton. The dyed
silk were darker and minimal bleeding occurred. This greater affinity
to silk may be due to the fact that silk is an animal fiber while cotton
is a vegetable fiber. While cotton is mainly cellulosic, silk is composed
of animal protein. It is possible that silk fibers retain the dye than
cellulose.
Between alum and copper sulfate, copper sulfate was observed
as a better mordant. More color is imparted to the cloth when copper
sulfate is used. This may be due to the dye reacting better with
copper sulfate than with alum. Tables 2 and 3 show the effects of the
dye and the mordants used on the test fabric.
The bleeding test showed that the dye can cause no staining
on undyed fabric. This means that it would not affect the colors of
fabrics when a cloth dyed with the sawdust dye is washed together
with other fabrics.
For better extraction of dye from sawdust, the authors
recommend soaking the sawdust for some time before boiling it.
Alcohol may be used to extract the dye instead of water. Use of other
mordants, such as iron sulfate, is also recommended.

Table I. Yield analysis of sawdust

Method
1

Replicate

Weight of Dye

% yield

3.7g

0.93

3.6g

0.90

4.6g

1.15

4.0g

1.0

Table II. Effect of the dye on silk

Method

Mordant

Degree of

Degree of

bleeding

staining

alum

4-5

copper sulfate

4-5

alum

4-5

copper sulfate

4-5

Table III. Effect of the dye on cotton

Method

Mordant

Degree of
bleeding

Degree of
staining

alum
coppersulfate

2-3
2-3

5
5

alum

3-4

coppersulfate

3-4

Researchers:
Harold Louis Trinidad
DC Vincent Saguin
Wilson Namocot, Jr.
Avon Aurel de Guzman
Adviser:
Ms. Doreen Darvin
Philippine Science High School, Quezon City

Note
No part of this article may be used or reproduced in any form whatsoever
without written permission from the Philippine Science High School, Diliman,
Quezon City, except in the case of brief citations as embodied in the laws
of scientific articles and reviews.

FRESHMAN

17