Dyeing Nile Rose Products

Can you provide an innovative  and cost efficient method to dye handicrafts made of Nile Rose (water Hyacinth)  instead of the currently used methods that consists of unstable water based colors that are applied after finishing the products?

A call for chemists and artists to find colorants consisting of durable  pigments or dyes to be used in coloring the Nile Rose fibers after drying in order to provide a wide range of more attractive and decorative products  thus attract more customers and create a new market for these eco friendly crafts .

The winning solution will contribute in increasing the popularity of Nile Rose products and create profitable market and ventures for artisans while protecting the aquatic surfaces from the harms caused by this fastly propagating aquatic weed.

A 17,000 EGP reward will be presented by the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology to implement the proposed solution. Please read on for more details!

The Problem:

Water Hyacinth known as “Nile Rose” in Egypt  is regarded as harmful aquatic weed,due to its high growth rate and wide propagation in nearly all fresh water  surfaces. It can cause silting waters, declining populations of fish, blockage of irrigation, flooding, and mosquito breeding places.

The Nile Rose represents a major problem for most  Egyptian freshwater sources,as it consumes around 2 billion cubic meter of freshwater every year [1]. It consumes huge amounts of water that can be used in irrigation , block navigation, fills the waterways, and consumes dissolved oxygen in the water, which threatens the aquatic life .

In a joint cooperation between Indonesia and Egypt, a number of artisans  have been trained on the best possible way to process water hyacinth and supervise the quality used in the handicraft industry in Beni Suef .This  innovative attempt will eliminate the main cause of the problem by integrating these abundant weed as a raw material in new industries.

The stem of water hyacinth is the raw material for making the most important value added products which include items like ladies hand bags, purse, mobile covers, file covers, hand fans, sofa set, pencil stand, dustbin, lamp stand, wall hangings .

The Challenge:

This new handicraft industry seeks an innovative colorants to color the Water hyacinth dried stems used in the desired products in order to attract more buyers instead of the currently used water based colors that are unstable and fade quickly. The dyes should fulfill the following requirements:

• Bonds with the natural fiber, thus creating a more permanent color.

• Have no effects on the product in term of flexibility or stiffness.

• Non-toxic and eco-friendly.

• Easily applied and mixed.

• Fixed easily to natural fibers.

• It has fastness properties, such as:

  • Fastness to sunlight.

  • Resistance to the action of water, diluted acids, alkalis, and various organic solvents.

• Good for building deeper shades and brighter shades.

• Capable of dyeing at lower temperatures, for saving on energy costs.

• Can be dyed at lower liquids ratios, for reducing water consumption.

Reward and Conditions:

The winner will receive a reward of 17,000 EGP provided by the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, to implement the solution according to the following conditions:

1.    The solution should meet the aforementioned criteria;

2.  The solution should be provided as a research showing tested results. You will have an advantage if it was done by you, your team or a local entity using local materials.

3.   The solution should include a clear plan of action including implementation stages, timeline, required tools/materials, estimated budget, and technical support required (if applicable).

4.        The reward will be given in installments, in accordance to milestones set by the innovator(s) according to their plan of action.

5.        As per our platform Terms and Conditions, in case the intellectual property rights are not registered, the innovator should include the minimum details required to judge the technical validity and feasibility of the solution without full technical specifications.

 

[1] https://www.youm7.com/story/2016/7/23/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%89-%D9%85%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%AD%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%89-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AE%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-2-%D9%85%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B1/2811876

 

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