Abstract
Natural dyes have become an appealing ecological source for textile dyeing and present a potential alternative of the synthetic dye. The main objective of this current study was aimed towards possible valorization of aqueous effluent in natural phytodyeing process. The hydrodistillation process of the liquid waste of Centaurea Kroumeriensis was studied for its re-use in the dyeing of wool fabrics. The studied dye bath was analyzed by physicochemical methods pointing out the presence of flavonoids and condensed tannins. The phytodyeing process was optimized using mathematical modeling based on full factorial design. The obtained dyeing performances were assessed by the measurement of color strength (K/S) and colorimetric coordinates. In addition, color fastness to light, washing, and rubbing was evaluated. The dyed fabrics showed shades between beige and brown and exhibited, overall, good fastness properties. In other respects, the wastewater effluent residual from the dyeing process was characterized and compared to that of the initial dye bath. The polluting load was reduced for both chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand. On balance, the liquid waste of Centaurea Kroumeriensis exhibited remarkable coloring performances proving its use as a promising natural resource for textile fabrics natural dyeing. Hence, the suitable waste management concept in essential oil production extraction could lead to achieving a low-cost sustainable dyeing process.