About this ebook
Written by scientists with specialised knowledge in the field, Handbook of Natural Colorants provides a unique source of information, summarising the present knowledge of natural colorants in depth. Supporting researchers in this emerging field of sustainable chemistry, it provides easy access to the theory and practice of natural colorants from different viewpoints, including agricultural, economic and legislative aspects.
Topics covered include:
- History of coloration technology
- Present position of natural colorants
- Regional plant source availability
- Specific application techniques
- Chemical properties that professional dyers and chemists have to consider
- Agricultural sourcing of dyes with an emphasis on renewable resources
- Discussions on energy and material balance issues arising from the sourcing of materials
- Production aspects of colorants, leading on to the key applications
- Environmental and economic aspects
Also included are the pros and cons of natural dyestuffs, presenting some promising results and evaluating the potential use of vegetable dyes as alternatives to chemical-based ones with a focus on green chemistry
About the author
Dr Thomas Bechtold is Head of the Institute for Textile Chemistry and Textile Physics at the Leopold-Franzens University of Innsbruck, Austria. His key research interests are: dyeing with vat, indigo and sulfur dyes; electrochemistry in textile processes; formulation of special detergents.
He has published over 70 papers in this research field in the last 20 years.
Dr Rita Mussak is based in the Department of Theoretical Chemistry at the Leopold-Franzens University of Innsbruck, Austria.
