Recent Developments in the Optimised Dyeing of Cellulose Using Reactive Dyes

To obtain the optimum conditions for dyeing cellulosic fibre with reactive dyes, it is necessary to find out how dyeing results depend upon the properties of the dyes and the fibres. The relationships between the rates of dyeing, dyeing equilibria, types of dye and additions of auxiliaries are important. Based on data that are already available or easy to acquire, it is possible to control the pH of the dyebath and the addition of auxiliaries to obtain optimum exhaustion and fixation for each reactive dye. The advantages to be gained are shorted dyeing times, better dyeing reproducibility and better levelness