“Magik Color”: Thai-style Natural Dye Powder for Fabric Printing to Reduce Chemical Usage

     Today, let's look at the advancement of the development of Magik Color, a natural dye powder for fabric printing. This is an alternative for business operators to reduce chemical usage. The dye powder is a key raw material in the global textile industry, used for printing patterns on fabric, which could contain harmful toxins and residues harmful to users and the environment. The National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC), a part of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), has collaborated on this development.

     The team utilized the strength of the biological diversity in Thailand to create a product with vibrant and diverse colors. This includes natural dye powder in six shades for various printing techniques like Silk screen printing, Block printing, and Stencil printing. The dye is applicable for both natural and synthetic fibers, derived from four raw materials: lacquer gives red and pink color, cosmos flowers provide yellow and reddish-brown color, Terminalia bellirica's bark gives yellowish-brown color, and oil palm fruit peel gives a gray-black color. The last two materials are notable for adding value to other industries' waste. Terminalia bellirica's bark is a byproduct of charcoal production in Samut Songkhram province, sold domestically and for export. Oil palm fruit peel is a waste product from cooking oil production. By extracting the color from these natural sources, this product reduces the chemical component by over 20%, while other chemical components have been tested and certified as safe.

     However, natural colors are not as durable as chemical ones. The developed formula has been tested by the research team, proving that the fabric can be washed with a gentle detergent, such as baby laundry soap, over 30 times. With each wash, the color will gradually fade slightly.

     For business operators interested in the technology transfer of natural color powder production at the industrial level, or those interested in testing the natural color powder product, please contact the Business and Industry Development Department at MTEC, NSTDA.

Data updated on March 2, 2023
Source: National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA)
Tel. +66 2564 8000