sustainable textile fibres - the present and the possibilities

SUSTAINABLE FIBRESthe present and the possibilities

Nalinda G.M. 121044NSenevirathna I.R. 121070NLenagala G.N.H. 121088CWeerasinghe D.U. 121094P

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World Fibre Demand In 2014

25.4 million tons natural fibres including cotton wool

5.2 million tons man made cellulosic fibres 55.2 million tons synthetic fibres

With the increase of population and change of consumption patterns

It is impossible to fulfill the fibre requirement only from natural resources

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Manmade Fibres Continue to Grow

Source : Presentation of Alasdair Carmichael, the president: Americas, PCI Fibres. 2014 Textile Innovation Forum

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“Ability to sustain” or “The Capacity to Endure”.

Synthetic Fibres Non-bio degradable Higher carbon footprint

Natural fibres High water footprint Heavily pesticides dependent

Sustainability in Textile

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Natural Fibres can be defined as substances produced by plants and animals that can be spun into filament, thread or rope and in a next step be woven, knitted, matted or bound

Renewable and carbon neutral, natural Fibres leave residues that can be used to generate electricity. And they are 100% biodegradable

Moving to Sustainable Natural Fibres

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Continued… To stop and reverse the effect of global

warming To replace non- renewable, non-

degradable synthetic materials To reduce carbon emissions(during the

processes) A recyclable material that minimize

waste.

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Sustainable Solutions for Fibres

“Biomimicry” – The what and the why What - An approach to innovation that seeks

sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature's time-tested patterns and strategies.

Why – Because Animals and plants in nature have evolved over billions of years to develop efficient solutions, such as superhydrophobicity, self cleaning, self repair, energy conservation, drag reduction etc.

The large surface area of fibrous textiles offerstremendous opportunities to functionalization lending textiles more to biomimetic concepts than others.

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Spider SilkWhy Spider Silk The more recent interest in the study of

spider silks is because of their unique combination of strength and toughness, which make them a model engineering material. Protein-based biopolymer filaments with exceptional mechanical properties despite being spun at almost ambient temperature and pressure and with water as solvent

Energy saving at production

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One Source – Many Possibilities

Electron-microscope imaging shows the variety of textures a single spider can produce from its body.

Source: “Spider Silk Continues To Inspire Biotech Advancement” by Jonathan Howard for Cosmoso.net

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How to Produce … Conventional wet spinning of regenerated

dragline silk obtained through forced silking. Spinning of silk monofilaments from

aqueous solution of recombinant spider silk protein obtained by inserting the silk-producing genes into mammalian cells

Solvent spinning of recombinant spider silk protein analogue produced via bacteria and yeast cell cultures doped with chemically synthesized artificial genes

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Applications of Spider Silk Unique combination of strength and

toughness- Technical Applications Bullet proof vests Ropes Nets Seat Belts Parachutes

Although Kevlar is stronger than spider silk, spider silk is 5 times tougher than Kevlar and thermally stable up to about 230°C

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PLA Fibre – Poly (Lactic Acid) An aliphatic polyester that can be

derived from 100% renewable resources. The monomer lactic acid comes from

fermenting various sources of natural sugars. These sugars can come from agricultural crops such as corn or sugar beets.

Raw material is both renewable and non-polluting, hence eliminating the use of a finite supply of oil as a raw material.

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How to Produce…

Source : Overview of Poly(Lactic Acid) by Ozan Avinc

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Properties and Applications of PLA Low flammability/smoke generation -

Household Low specific gravity – Lightweight fabrics Low moisture absorption and high

wicking - Sports and performance apparel and products

Low index of refraction - Excellent color characteristics

High resistance to ultra violet (UV) light - Outdoor furniture and furnishings applications

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Did You Know ? More recent studies have shown that

producing one ton of polypropylene widely used in packaging, containers and cordage – Emits into the atmosphere more than 3 tons of carbon dioxide.

Meanwhile jute absorbs as much as 2.4 tons of carbon per ton of dry fibre.

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Banana Fibre … A rhizomatous plant grown in over 129

countries. Commonly found in hot tropical climates. All varieties of banana plants have Fibres

in abundance. Worlds’ 4th major crop. A healthy fruit and used to make some

medicine.

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Previously Used for… Ropes Mats Composite materials.Currently Moving to… Apparel garments Home furnishings (Cushion Covers,Curtains,Rugs,Table Clothes,Bags)

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Banana Fibre Characteristics

Banana fibre contain cellulose. It is highly strong fibre.

It has smaller elongation and Shiny appearance depending upon the extraction .

It is light weight. It has strong moisture absorption quality. It is bio-degradable and has no negative effect on

environment. It can be spun through almost all the methods of

spinning including ring spinning, open-end spinning, bast Fibre spinning, and semi-worsted spinning among others.

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Future …

Future research should include the whole process of fully utilizing banana plant after fruit harvesting.

It can also be combined with other natural fibres for a better hand feel and provide variety of fabric with required end properties.

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Pineapple Fibre

Pineapple crops are a natural resource. Spanish Red or Native Philippine Red pineapples take about 18 months to reach maturity.

Pineapple crops leave a friendlier footprint on our environment.

Pineapple fibres are an ivory-white color and naturally glossy. This delicate and dreamy cloth is translucent, soft and fine with a high luster.

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Pineapple Fibre Processing

Source : http://www.ananas-anam.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Download-the-Life-Cycle-Analysis.pdf

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Previously Used for Paper. Mats. Composite materials.Currently Moving to. Apparel garments Home furnishings (Cushion Covers,Curtains,Rugs,Table Clothes,Bags) Reinforced Roofing/Reinforced Plastics.

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Pineapple Fibre Characteristics Elegant appearance when converted to

fabric. Lightweight. Blends well with other Fibres. Similar in appearance to linen. Softer than Hemp. More texture than silk. Easily washable and easy care.

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Future … Heavy use of chemicals in the leather

tanning process will be reduced by pineapple Fibres and its composites.

Ex :- “Pinatex” as an alternative to leather and petroleum-based textiles. It would be roughly 40% cheaper than

good quality leather.

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Present status of sustainable fiber industry

The demand for the sustainable fashion has been growing in European and western countries.

Increasing the demand for the sustainable fashion industry or green fabric by, introducing and making aware the

consumers investing more in the factories for

sustainable fashion industry introducing new brands for green fashion

industry

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Contd… Prevailing companies

AQUAFIL-recycle fishing nets and unwanted textiles into regenerated fibers to use as carpet and fabric.-maintain green brands like ‘Econyl’

LEVI STRAUSS-recycled bottles into iconic denim jeans

Investigating fiber blends which reduce the environmental footprint of the final garment SYNERGYIntroduce organic cotton blends that include hemp and bamboo to reduce the footprint

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Suggestions for further researches Discover mechanisms that drive nature’s creation of

organisms to create novel fibers Investigate biodegradation, mineralization and biomass

formation of the novel fibers to create zero waste Investigate cell structures and mechanisms of nature’s

functionalities rather than applying chemicals to get different types of functionalities and performances

Investigate and mimic the natural wonders and apply them in textile fibers to make fast compostable fibers

Investigate genetic modifications for producing sustainable fibers

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Conclusion Discovering of more recycling and remanufacturing

methods to slow down the waste generation is a short term solution

Increasing of sustainable fiber production to fulfill the market requirement without creating any damage to the environment

Lifecycle analysis should be conducted to evaluate the real environmental impacts of the new findings

Understanding of the natural degradation process is a key factor to develop sustainable fibers

Introduce the products with Green label will increase the demand for sustainable fashion industry

THANK YOU !