Multi-criteria decision analysis for textile pad-dyeing and foam-dyeing based on cost, performance, productivity and sustainability

In the textile wet processing, pad-dyeing is a conventional and most commonly used technique for continuous processing. This technique consumes considerable amounts of water, chemical and energy. Therefore, scientists have developed the foam technique which is more sustainable than the conventional pad-dyeing. However, in order to implement the foam-dyeing in the textile industry, the key challenges include the preparation of suitable foam for range of dyes, its application, and obtaining the results that must be comparable to the conventional pad-dyeing. To address these issues, this research compares the conventional pad-dyeing and foam-dyeing concerning cost, performance, productivity, and environmental sustainability using three primary colors for direct and reactive dyes on the cotton fabrics. First part of the research includes the practical trials for the successful generation, stabilization and application of foam onto the cotton fabric for all the three primary colors of reactive and direct dyes. While in the second part, Analytic Hierarchy Process technique is used to present and analyze the problem. The results exhibited that the foam-dyeing is superior than pad-dyeing in terms of cost, productivity, and sustainability. The performance can be further improved by optimizing the foam-dyeing recipes. Multi-criteria decision analysis provides an organized and comprehensive way to evaluate the alternative recipes for dyeing.