Synthetic dyes used for the coloration of textile goods are not readily biodegradable and are a major concern for water pollution. Nature has abundant sources of potential colorants for textile applications. There are many challenges in textile coloration using natural dyes and pigments, and significant research efforts are currently put into replacing synthetic textile dyes successfully. In order to gain insight into the future trajectory of dyeing research utilizing natural colorants, a bibliometric analysis from 1990 to 2021 using the Science Citation Index Expanded database was conducted. The analysis focused on how well the publication performed in terms of outputs and citations annually, mainstream journals, Web of Science categories, top universities, top nations, research trends, and hotspots. An overview of the most frequently used keywords derived from terms in the article title analysis, authors’ keyword analysis, and KeyWords Plus analysis served as the foundation for determining current research goals and future trends. The findings indicated that no noteworthy research on this topic was conducted in the final decade of the previous century but that it did begin to get the attention of scholars in the first decade of this century. The use of natural dyes in industry has significantly expanded during the past ten years. “Fastness” is the interest point that has received the most attention. Mordants, or environmentally friendly extraction techniques such as ultrasonic, gamma irradiation, etc., represent the future of this research area. On the other hand, ultraviolet protection and antibacterial or antimicrobial properties are becoming more and more popular in the field of textile dyeing research using natural colorants.

The textile industry has been exploring sustainable chemicals and natural alternatives to replace harmful and carcinogenic substances used in different stages of textile production for dyeing textiles. Natural dyes are gaining popularity, as they are environmentally friendly and less harmful. Betacyanin, a type of pigment obtained from red pitahaya, commonly known as red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus), has peels that are available as agricultural waste and can be used to meet the demand for natural dye production. This study aimed to explore and utilize dragon fruit’s peel as a natural colorant for dyeing 100% cotton knit fabric (scoured and bleached single jersey plain knit) of 170 g/m², which could transform a low-value material into a valuable product. However, cotton’s phenolic nature and oxidation process result in negative charges on its surface, making natural dyeing challenging. Cationization with cationic agents (ForCat NCH, a mixture of cationic polyamine and 1,3,dichlori-2-propanol) and mordanting (potassium alum or potassium aluminum sulfate) were carried to improve dye exhaustion and enhance colorfastness properties. Spectrophotometer 800 was used to measure color strength (K/S), and several fastness tests, including wash, perspiration, and rubbing were conducted to assess the final product’s performance. The process parameters, such as temperatures, times, pH levels, and dye concentrations were varied to understand better the optimum conditions.

Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever pose a significant global health threat, with malaria alone causing hundreds of thousands of deaths annually. Climate change has exacerbated mosquito proliferation, necessitating innovative solutions to combat these diseases. Textiles engineered with mosquito-repellent characteristics have become a practical alternative to fight against vector-borne diseases. Not only synthetic chemicals, i.e., DEET, permethrin, etc, but also natural agents like essential oils or plant extract have been successfully applied onto fabrics through dyeing, printing, coating, grafting, and encapsulation. These techniques not only introduce the insect repellency but also embed multifunctional activity, e.g., UV protection, antimicrobial activity, etc Although this domain of functional textiles has made notable progress, the research communities are still trying to find a more feasible and suitable approach, and at the same time, overcome the existing limitations in achieving long-term effectiveness, user comfort, and environmentally sustainable options. This review discusses the advancements mosquito repellent textiles by applying both natural and synthetic repellents, covering application methods, assessment criteria, and material selection. It offers insights for developing effective and diverse mosquito-repellent textiles. This study contributes a unique, in-depth analysis of this field, highlighting the opportunities and limitations of current strategies while enhancing understanding and guiding future research endeavours.

Purpose: This study uses bio-coatings generated from banana peels and bio-composites manufactured from waste fabric to explore creating and assessing new flame-retardant materials. Design/Methodology/Approach: Polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) was used as a binder with banana peels, a readily available organic waste, to create bio-composite materials and flame-retardant fabric (FRF) coating. The 45° Burning Test, BS 4790 Fire Test (Hot Nut Test), Direct Metal Heat (DMH) Test, Welding Spark Test, Direct Heat Test, and Chemical Resistance Testing (H₂SO₄) were among the tests used to evaluate the samples' fire retardancy. Findings: During the 45-degree burning test, untreated cloth showed poor resistance, lighting after 23 seconds, whereas FRF required 93 seconds, and flame-retardant composite (FRC) demonstrated the best flame resistance, igniting after 315 seconds, followed by plywood at 245 seconds. Additionally, FRC showed outstanding fire resistance, endured exposure to strong sulfuric acid without suffering any harm, and remained unaffected for 600 seconds. Conclusion: The overall findings show that, compared to untreated fabric and plywood, the bio-composites and bio-coated textiles demonstrated noticeably improved flame resistance. The bio-composites demonstrated outstanding performance with prolonged resistance to ignition and prolonged exposure to direct heat and chemical conditions, suggesting their potential as cost-effective and ecologically friendly alternatives to synthetic materials in fire safety applications.

The increasing demand for cleaner coloration of synthetic textiles has renewed interest in plant-based dyes; however, limited dye–fiber affinity and shade durability remain major challenges in nylon dyeing. This study developed a mordant-free dyeing process for nylon fabric using Terminalia catappa leaf extract by optimizing extraction pH, dyebath pH, dyeing time, and temperature. Mature T. catappa leaves were aqueously extracted under acidic, neutral, and alkaline conditions, followed by systematic dyeing optimization. The dyed fabrics were evaluated using color strength (K/S), CIELAB color coordinates, standard fastness tests, FTIR spectroscopy, and FE-SEM analysis. Alkaline extraction followed by acidic dyeing produced the highest dye uptake. The optimum condition was extraction pH 11, dyebath pH 3, 120 °C, and 60 min, yielding a maximum K/S value of 21.94 with ΔL, Δa, and Δb values of −54.25, 8.03, and 24.92, respectively. FTIR and SEM results supported possible dye–fiber interaction through hydrogen bonding, electrostatic attraction, and surface/inter-filament dye deposition without obvious fiber damage. The optimized fabric showed very good washing, dry rubbing, perspiration, and saliva fastness, good light fastness, excellent ultraviolet protection, and slightly lower wet rubbing fastness. Overall, T. catappa leaf extract offers a promising mordant-free route for durable nylon coloration.