Description du projet
Des fibres de coton produites naturellement
Dans le monde entier, les procédés de fabrication à base de produits chimiques dangereux constituent un défi pour l’industrie du coton. Il est urgent de trouver des solutions alternatives durables, et l’exploitation de systèmes biologiques est un bon moyen de les mettre au point. Cependant, la complexité intrinsèque des organismes supérieurs et le manque de compréhension approfondie des mécanismes sous-jacents et de leurs interactions empêchent la fabrication de matériaux biosourcés adéquats. Une découverte récente suggère que les cotonniers absorbent le sucre à travers les racines et le transportent vers les fibres. Le projet BIOMATFAB, financé par l’UE, explorera l’absorption et le transport ascendant du sucre ainsi que la biosynthèse des fibres produites naturellement à l’échelle du cotonnier. Le projet permettra de créer une feuille de route pour la production de fibres de coton dotés de propriétés sur mesure.
Objectif
Naturally produced fibers have always played central roles in shaping human civilizations. Current hazardous chemical-based manufacturing processes and consumers' preferences for cotton products are putting much strain on the future of cotton’s global economy. Thus, it is urgent to seek future sustainable alternatives. What alternatives and tools are available? Which new avenues are waiting to be explored toward this end?
Harnessing biological systems is one of humanity’s ultimate frontiers. Yet, the intrinsic complexity of higher organisms and the lack of in-depth, comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms and their interactions across a multitude of scales has primarily hindered their use to manufacture bio-based materials with desired properties. This project addresses this lack of knowledge by answering key questions concerning the sugar uptake and upwards transport from the roots and biosynthesis of naturally produced fibers at the level of cotton plants while using this body of information to create a roadmap to produce cotton fibers with tailored properties.
Our approach will dive into the exploration of a recent and largely unexplored discovery that cotton plants uptake sugar by the roots, transporting them upwards, reaching as far as the fibers (root-to-fiber). In particular, we will dwell on the dynamics of this process using sugar derivatives. This body of information will set the stage for feeding the roots of whole cotton plants with sugar derivatives carrying specific functionalities to become, ultimately, biologically incorporated into the fibers modifying their end properties, particularly fluoro-sugars to yield fibers with increased hydrophobicity. We will demonstrate the feasibility of biological fabrication and material farming in whole cotton plants as a revolutionizing and sustainable alternative to manufacturing current chemical-based strategies and toward a bio-based global economy.
Champ scientifique
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Régime de financement
HORIZON-AG - HORIZON Action Grant Budget-BasedInstitution d’accueil
7610001 Rehovot
Israël