Elemental Comparison of African Balsam and Shea Butter Woods Ashes for Cloth Dyeing

Abstract

Elemental comparison of wood ashes fixating materials in cloth dyeing has not been of scholarly attention, especially in Nigeria where studies have also excluded wood ashes for fixating agent for cloth dyeing. This study therefore elementally examined and compared ashes of African Balsam Woods(ABW) (Daniella Oliver) and Shea Butter Wood(SBW) (vita iloria paradoxa) and produced fixating agent with the selected woods with a view to providing scientic fixating agent for alternate synthetic fixating. Woods of each samples were harvested and processed into ashes stage as well as analysed with particle induce Energy Dispersive X-ray Meter (EDXM). Elevcn elements: strontium, (Sr), Rubidium (Rb), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Nickel (Ni), Iron (fe), Manganese (Mn), Chromium (Cr), Titanium (Ti), Calcium (Ca) and Potassium (K) were determined. Based on the ashes of each sample drenched in water fixating compositions were formulated and used with synthetic dyes. African Balsam wood ashes fixating agent work effectively with synthetic dyes in this study. The findings call for further studies on comparative of other woods ashes for the formulating of fixating agent to have more organic and unharmful fixating and jettison synthetic fixating agents.