Journal of Natural Fibers

Biobased Dyes Linking Sustainable Textiles and Textile Cultural Heritage

Biobased dyes are gaining importance as the textile sector seeks renewable, safer, and lower impact alternatives to fossil-derived colorants. This Article Collection examines dyes and pigments obtained from plants, insects, microorganisms, algae, fungi, and biogenic residues for natural fiber textiles. It welcomes studies on sustainable sourcing, extraction, biosynthesis, natural organic lake pigments, mordanting, dye-fiber interactions, color measurement, fastness, functional properties, process optimization, and analytical characterization. Research combining traditional knowledge with chemistry, biotechnology, and textile engineering to improve reproducibility, performance, and scalability is encouraged. The scope includes chromatographic, spectroscopic, microscopic, and elemental analyses of dyes, pigments, mordants, and fibers in historical and archaeological textiles and studies of degradation, authenticity, provenance, and conservation. By linking advances in biobased colorants with material evidence, traditional production knowledge, and analytical research preserved in textile cultural heritage, the Collection will promote interdisciplinary approaches that transfer laboratory findings into sustainable production, standardization, cultural interpretation, and conservation practice.

This theme is important because a credible transition to sustainable textile coloration requires more than substituting a synthetic dye with a biological source. Biobased dye systems must be assessed in terms of raw material renewability, land and water use, chemical safety, energy demand, waste generation, fiber compatibility, durability, reproducibility, and industrial performance. Agricultural and food processing byproducts can provide valuable colorant resources and support circular bioeconomy models, but their environmental advantages require transparent evaluation and efficient process design. Historical and archaeological textiles also preserve long term evidence of dye sources, mordants, recipes, and aging behavior. Integrating textile science, natural product chemistry, biotechnology, conservation science, and industrial practice can strengthen standardization, substantiate sustainability claims, and translate heritage inspired knowledge into responsible contemporary applications.

The Collection will welcome research on cotton, linen, hemp, wool, silk, and other natural fiber materials colored with biobased dyes and pigments. Relevant topics include:

• renewable dye sources
• microbial and enzymatic colorant production
• extraction technologies
• biobased mordants and auxiliaries
• low water and low energy dyeing
• industrial scale processing
• color fastness
• functional finishing
• natural organic lake pigments
• valorization of agricultural and food waste
• life cycle assessment
• circular production
• quality, authenticity, or certification frameworks

Studies on historical and archaeological textiles may apply HPLC DAD, LC MS, spectroscopy, microscopy, imaging, or elemental analysis to investigate dye composition, degradation, conservation, and provenance. Research linking historical recipes and traditional practices with safe, reproducible, and scalable textile processes is particularly encouraged. Journal of Natural Fibers accepts the following types of article: Research Articles, Brief Reports, and Review Articles.

Keywords:

1. Biobased dyes
2. Sustainable textile coloration
3. Natural fibers
4. Circular bioeconomy
5. Textile cultural heritage

­­All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is July 23, 2027.

Please contact Agnes Zhou Agnes.Zhou@taylorandfrancis.com with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

Please be sure to select the appropriate Article Collection from the drop-down menu in the submission system.

Guest Advisor does not declare any potential conflicts of interests in line with our Editorial Policies.

Prof. Dr. Recep Karadag is an analytical chemist and textile engineer, and a faculty member in the Department of Fashion and Textile Design, Faculty of Fine Arts, Istanbul Aydin University, Türkiye. He also heads the TCF Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory (DATU) in Istanbul. His research focuses on natural dyes and pigments, sustainable textile coloration, chromatographic and spectroscopic characterization of dyed materials, and the conservation science of textile cultural heritage. His work bridges historical dye technologies with modern analytical methods, industrial-scale applications, and standardization approaches for sustainable natural dyeing. He is the author and co-author of books and book chapters, has published more than 100 scientific articles, and has presented his research at numerous national and international symposia, congresses, and conferences.