Optimizing color stripping techniques for quality retention in reactive dyed cotton fabrics

Abstract

The textile industry has faced increasing demand for high-quality fabrics, where dyeing faults such as overdyeing, off-shade, or uneven coloration have posed major challenges. Instead of discarding defective fabrics, color stripping has been recognized as a sustainable and cost-effective solution, enabling reuse without compromising quality. However, reactive dyes applied on cotton have formed strong covalent bonds with cellulose, making dye removal particularly difficult. Conventional reductive stripping using sodium hydrosulfite has been effective but has caused fabric damage and produced environmentally harmful effluents. Therefore, this study has explored an alternative chemical to replace sodium hydrosulfite, focusing on stripping efficiency, fabric quality retention, and environmental safety to identify a more sustainable solution.