Electron beam irradiation technology has gained more attention as it appears to be a promising economically and environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional wet-chemical processing. It is an advanced approach that is clean, solvent-free, time-saving, and ecologically benign with acceptable handling and operation properties. This review provides a study of the latest literature on the technology of electron beam irradiation surface modification of textile. Considerable emphasis is also placed on the most novel applications of electron beam irradiation such as the functionalization of textile materials, which leads to the development of alternative sustainable techniques or revolutionary advanced materials soon. Graphical abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly shown the importance of developing advanced protective equipment, and new antiviral fabrics for the protection and prevention of life-threatening viral diseases are needed. In this study, selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) were combined with polyester fabrics using printing technique to obtain multifunctional properties, including combined antiviral and antibacterial activities as well as coloring. The properties of the printed polyester fabrics with SeNPs were estimated, including tensile strength and color fastness. Characterization of the SeNPs was carried out using TEM and SEM. The results of the analysis showed good uniformity and stability of the particles with sizes range from 40–60 nm and 40–80 nm for SeNPs 25 mM and 50 mM, respectively, as well as uniform coating of the SeNPs on the fabric. In addition, the SeNPs—printed polyester fabric exhibited high disinfection activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with an inhibition percentage of 87.5%. Moreover, a toxicity test of the resulting printed fabric revealed low cytotoxicity against the HFB4 cell line. In contrast, the treated fabric under study showed excellent killing potentiality against Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, and Escherichia coli). This multifunctional fabric has high potential for use in protective clothing applications by providing passive and active protection pathways.

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Because of its low critical temperature and pressure levels, supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) is the most widely used supercritical fluid in the supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) technique. Alizarin was extracted from madder roots (Rubia tinctorum) using scCO2 under different conditions of co-solvent ratio (0–50%), temperature (45–95 °C), pressure (150–250 bar), extraction time (15–120 min), and flow rate (5–9 mL/min). Based on alizarin recovery and minimization of environmental risk, the optimum conditions were determined. SFE was optimum at 90% CO2:10% methanol (Me), 65 °C, 250 bar, 45 min, and 9 mL/min. The alizarin recovery, and its content in R. tinctorum extract (RE) under the optimum conditions were 1.34 g/kg roots, and 6.42%, respectively. Using conventional dyeing methods, wool fabrics were dyed with RE at different concentrations (2–6%). Various types of mordants were also used in the dyeing process, including chemical and bio-mordants. Color and fastness properties of dyed wool fabrics were evaluated based on RE concentration and mordant type. A higher RE concentration and the use of mordants, specifically Punica granatum (P. granatum) peels, increased the color characteristics. RE and dyed fabrics exhibited good antibacterial activity against the tested bacterial strains, especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli.