The aerial parts of the Argy Worm Wood (AWW) plant have been used in different Chinese foods as a colorant and a taste enhancer for a long time. Despite its application as a food colorant, it has rarely been considered for the coloration of textiles. Keeping in mind the variation in color strength due to the change in phytochemical contents by seasonal change and other variables, the extraction of AWW aerial parts was optimized using the Taguchi method. Optimization was performed on the basis of total phytochemical contents (phenols, flavonoids, and tannins) in the extracted solutions. For this purpose, two different solvent systems, namely sodium hydroxide/water (NaOH/water) and ethanol/water (EtOH/water), were applied through a simple aqueous extraction method at varying levels of solvent concentration, and extraction temperature and duration. Maximum phytochemicals yield of 21.96% was obtained using NaOH/water system with 9 g/L NaOH/water at 85 °C for 20 min and 25.5% with 75% aqueous ethanol at 85 °C for 40 min. Optimized extracts were characterized by UV-Vis and FTIR spectrophotometry, which showed the presence of multiple phytochemicals in the extracts. The dyeing temperature and time were also optimized. Dyed cotton fabrics showed medium to high colorfastness to washing and excellent antibacterial and UV radiation absorption properties. The effect of pre-mordanting with salts of iron and copper was also studied on the color fastness properties. Cotton fabrics dyed with two different solvent system extracts displayed various shades of brown with NaOH/water, and green with aqueous ethanol with and without pre-mordanting. The present study provides the textile industry with a promising source of functional bio-colorant and a value-adding approach for the AWW plant industry.

Given the carcinogenic properties of formaldehyde-based chemicals, an alternative method for resin-finishing cotton textiles is urgently needed. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to introduce a sustainable resin-finishing process for cotton fabric via an industrial procedure. For this purpose, Bluesign® approved a formaldehyde-free Knittex RCT® resin was used, and the process parameters were designed and optimized according to the Taguchi L₂₇ method. XRD analysis confirmed the crosslinking formation between resin and neighboring molecules of cotton fabric, as no change in the cellulose crystallization phase. Several machine learning models were built in a sequence to predict the crease recovery angle (CRA), tearing strength (TE) and whiteness index (WI). Assessment of modelling was evaluated through the use of various metrics such as root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and the coefficient of determination (R²). Results were compared to those from other regression models, such as principal component regression (PCR), partial least squares regression (PLSR), and fuzzy modelling. Based on the results of our research, the LSSVR model predicted the CRA, TE, and WI with substantially more accuracy than other models, as shown by the fact that its RMSE and MAE values were significantly lower. In addition, it offered the greatest possible R² values, reaching up to 0.9627.

Recently, the natural dyeing process has achieved great importance in the textile wet processing industry due to its clean dyeing, eco-friendliness, and nontoxicity in nature. In the above research project, a unique natural dye extracted from dragon fruit was applied to wool fabric using various mordanting agents to encourage the use of natural dyes and lessen the negative environmental effects caused by synthetic dyeing. The color characteristics (K/S), fastness properties, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), absorption spectra, and thermal and ultraviolet (UV) resistance of the extracted dye and dyed wool samples were tested and characterized. The K/S values of the dyed wool fabrics were between 5.75 and 13.29. The color fastness ratings obtained from the dyed wool fabric were found to be between good and excellent. Hence, the overall results proved that the novel natural dye obtained from dragon fruit can be utilized for dyeing wool material for the production of eco-friendly and sustainable antimicrobial textiles.

Prolonged drying times of terry fabrics is a problem as they can not be re-used until completely dry. To resolve this issue, we have designed a sandwich polyester in the mid-layer with low moisture content that could reduce the drying time with excellent wicking properties. These fabrics are widely used as activewear and sportswear. The effect of different softeners on the moisture management properties of weft-knitted terry fabrics’ for various applications has also been studied. Terry knitted fabrics were prepared using a circular knitting machine. Six different softeners were applied with three different concentrations, i.e., 10 g/L, 15 g/L, and 20 g/L, on the fabric using the pad-dry-cure method. Moisture management tests and rubbing fastness tests were performed to analyze the applied softener’s effect on the fabric comfort and moisture management performance. Results revealed that softener type (i.e., cationic, anionic, and non-ionic) and concentration levels considerably affect the moisture management capability of terry knitted fabrics.