Dyeing of cotton fabric with natural dyes extracted from Garcinia morella fluid

Natural dyes are gaining attention as eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic colorants. Garcinia morella is a tropical plant commonly found in regions of Asia, especially in Sri Lanka and it is also called Gokatu or Gamboge. The tree exudes a yellowish resin, used as a color in $18^{\text{th}}$-century temple paintings in Sri Lanka. Despite its historical use in art, there is no prior evidence of its application to cotton textiles. This pioneering research assesses the fluid’s dyeing potential and suitability for cotton, evaluates its colorfastness, and fills a significant void in the research gap. An aqueous extraction method was used to separate Garcinia morella fluid from coloring agents. The dye’s properties were analyzed using pH, FTIR and UV-vis methods. Pre-and post-mordanting techniques were employed with three natural mordants: Terminalia chebula powder, Ferrous sulfate $(\mathrm{FeSO}_{4}\cdot\mathbf{7 H}_{2}\mathrm{O})$ and Alum $(\mathrm{KAl}(\mathrm{SO}_{4})_{2}\cdot 12\mathrm{H}_{2}\mathrm{O})$. Evaluation of the dyed samples showed better outcomes with pre-mordanting in terms of colorfastness, $K/S$, and $CIE~Lab$ values. The dye rendered cotton textile in shades ranging from yellow to brown. In conclusion, Garcinia morella proves to be a promising dye source for cotton textiles. This discovery revitalizes an ancient Sri Lankan pigment, pointing towards eco-friendly dyeing alternatives for a sustainable future.