Extraction of Natural Dye from Kigelia pinnata and Its Application on Pashmina (Cashmere) Fabric

The present study details attempts made to extract purified natural dye from the heartwood of Kigelia pinnata to dye cashmere fabrics. From the different extracted compounds, lapachol is identified as a viable dye source and the compound is characterized by using analytical and spectral (UV- Vis, IR, ¹H NMR) data. The isolated lapachol is used to dye cashmere fabric alone and also with different mordants, such as aluminium sulphate, stannous chloride and ferrous sulphate. The dye produces bright reddish brown colours on fabric with reproducibility. The addition of different mordants during dyeing imparts very good fastness properties on the cashmere fabric.