Project description
Innovative technologies for sustainable bio-based textile
The textile value chain encompasses various materials, end-users, and applications. Despite a growing focus on sustainability, progress remains slow, necessitating innovative technologies to tackle challenges such as low recycling rates and chemical pollutants. With this in mind, the EU-funded BioSusTex project aims to pioneer key technologies to enhance the sustainability of the textile value chain. These efforts include optimising recycling of cellulosic fibres, developing sustainable pre-processing techniques, creating bio-based water-repellent coatings, and providing analytical methods and prediction tools for toxicity assessment. These initiatives are in line with the Safe and Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) framework, designed to promote sustainable innovation within the textile industry.
Objective
The textile value chain comprises a multitude of materials, a wide variety of end users and challenging final applications. There is a shift towards a more sustainable textile value chain, but it is slow and needs more innovative technologies to combat challenges such as low recycling rates, substitution of substances of (very high) concern and chemical pollutants. The project Towards safe and sustainable biobased textile (BioSusTex) has the objective to demonstrate rapid development of several key technologies which will have a significant impact on the textile value chain, a need highlighted by key industrial partners within the consortium. Focusing on cotton and cellulosic textiles BioSusTex targets increased recycling rates and substitution of harmful compounds by (i) delivering an optimized cellulosic fiber recycling process for dope-dyed man-made cellulosics, (ii) develop efficient and sustainable pre-processing techniques for removal of elastane, dyes, and impurities from post-consumer blended cellulosic textile, while avoiding potential toxic degradation products during processing (iii) develop a biobased PFAS-free water-repellent coating based on an innovative methodology with temporary surfactants and (iv) developing removable biobased, PVC-free print formulations. Significant improvements in these key technologies, in accordance with the Safe and Sustainable-by-design (SSbD) framework, are expected to notably improve the sustainability of the textile value chain. Further, BioSusTex will not only yield technical solutions but respond to the industry needs of rapid assessments methods by (v) further developing analytical methods and prediction tools related to toxicity evaluation (vi) building a novel Decision Support software tool implementing the SSbD methodology; and (vii) creating a database compiling all the data generated in the previous stages, which ultimately supports systemic sustainable innovation in the textile value chain as a whole.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processesrecycling
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringfibers
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabases
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringtextiles
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and films
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
501 15 Boras
Sweden