Phytochemical Screening of Natural Textile Dyes Extracted from Tunisian Lichens

Environmentally friendly natural dyes have gained popularity recently because synthetic dyes have negative health effects. Through preliminary phytochemical screening, the work examined the dyeing potential of primary and secondary metabolites of Tunisian lichens. In most of the lichen extracts examined, significant tannins, proteins, carbohydrates, and steroids were present. The dyeing potential was determined by ammonia fermentation (AFM) and boiling water (BWM) methods on wool and fabric. The dyes degraded when exposed to light and heat. Alum, copper sulfate, and iron sulfate were used for the mordanting process. The studied lichen species generated a variety of hues using both techniques, including brown, caramel, purple, olive, green, and yellow. Both approaches revealed a wide variety of colors in all species. On both fabrics, the coloring patterns were depicted. Brighter colors were created by AFM than by BWM. But using BWM, Xanthoria parietina produced stunning purple dyes for textiles. Fabrics that have been mordanted had better sunshine colorfastness. The color shading was finest with an alum mordant. Using an Android application colorimeter, the dyed materials were assessed using CIE Lab* Chroma, Hue, and standard procedures following international standards. There is an alternative to traditional instruments in the form of this smartphone app. Most dyed textiles had very good to exceptional color fastness. In conclusion, phytochemical analysis of Tunisian lichens revealed their potential as suppliers of natural colors that are friendly to the environment.