APPLICATION OF DBD PLASMA AS PRETREATMENT OF COTTON FABRIC TO ENHANCE THE AFFINITY OF NATURAL DYE EXTRACTED FROM OIL PALM EMPTY FRUIT BUNCH WASTE WITH IMAGE PROCESSING EVALUATION

Abstract

The use of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) waste as a natural dye source was investigated via a novel plasma pretreatment approach. The dye extract was obtained by boiling the EFB in distilled water at 100 °C for one hour. Cotton fabrics were dyed using the exhaust method at 50 °C and pH 4 for 90 minutes, with some samples additionally treated with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma for 30 seconds. Alum mordanting was also applied as a comparison. Color analysis was conducted using an image-processing method based on RGB values, which revealed that both plasma treatment and mordanting individually increased color intensity relative to the control. The combination of plasma pretreatment and mordanting produced the highest color difference, with a distance value of 0.384, indicating a synergistic effect between plasma-induced fiber surface modification and crosslinking facilitated by the mordant. These findings highlight that integrating DBD plasma technology with natural dyeing, as evaluated using image processing, offers a promising pathway to enhance color uptake while promoting more sustainable and eco-friendly textile dyeing processes.

ABSTRAK

Pemanfaatan limbah tandan kelapa sawit sebagai sumber zat warna alami dieksplorasi dengan pendekatan baru berupa pretreatment plasma. Ekstrak pewarna diperoleh melalui perebusan tandan kelapa sawit dalam air suling pada suhu 100 °C selama satu jam. Proses pencelupan dilakukan pada kain kapas dengan metode exhaust pada 50 °C, pH 4, selama 90 menit, dengan variasi sampel yang diberi perlakuan plasma dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) selama 30 detik maupun tanpa plasma. Proses mordanting menggunakan tawas juga dijadikan pembanding. Analisis warna dilakukan menggunakan metode image processing berbasis nilai RGB, yang menunjukkan bahwa plasma maupun mordanting masing-masing berkontribusi meningkatkan intensitas warna dibanding kontrol. Kombinasi keduanya menghasilkan perbedaan warna terbesar dengan nilai distance 0,384, menandakan adanya efek sinergis antara modifikasi permukaan serat oleh plasma dengan pembentukan ikatan silang akibat mordant. Temuan ini menegaskan bahwa integrasi teknologi plasma DBD dengan zat warna alam, yang dievaluasi melalui image processing, dapat mendukung pengembangan proses pewarnaan tekstil yang lebih ramah lingkungan dan berkelanjutan.