Effect of Liquor to Goods Ratio Variation on Sorption of Reactive Dye Recipe Components on Cellulose

The environmental impact of textile dyeing, as well as the cost of the process, necessitate that all fiber dye uptake factors, including the liquor to goods ratio (L:R), be optimized. Using a real-time monitoring device, a commercial trichromatic reactive dye recipe was applied to cotton fabric at five L:R values. The effect of L:R variations on exhaustion profiles, for each dye in the dyebath simultaneously, was investigated. Changes in L:R affected the exhaustion and fixation rates of the dyes in combination dyeing differently, changing the depth of shade and the final hue of the colored product. For the trichromatic dye set used, all three dyes showed maximum fixation at 25:1 L:R. This has an impact on lab dip production and transitions to bulk production.