Ziel
A. BACKGROUND
A.1. State-of-the-art
Biotechnical approaches are widely used in textile processing and their use is expected to increase in the future due to increased demands for more environmentally friendly processes. Flax retting of flax is a traditional textile process utilising biotechnology. During retting, the flax woves are liberated from the flax straw, either by fungal attack or by enzymes. Of the enzymatic processes desizing with amylases has been used in industrial scale for over 50 years. Other enzymatic textile processes have been developed only during the last ten years. As an example, enzymatic processes are used for denim finishing instead of the traditional stone-washing process. Enzymes can also be used for bio-finishing of cotton and other natural cellulosic fibres resulting in smoother and glossier appearance of the fabric. Generally, enzymes can be used for modification of any material based on natural fibres, e.g. cotton, flax, wool, silk or wood fibres. Also regenerated fibres composed of cellulose (viscose, Lyocell, Tencel) can be treated by enzymes. Due to the specificity of enzymes, the choice of the enzyme is dependent on the type and chemical composition of the fibre to be treated.
Of the European textile fibres flax and wool are the most important. The total production of flax fibre in Europe is approximately 110,000 tonnes per annum. Flax being a composite fibre requires biotechnical stages in its processing. Furthermore the chemistry and quality of the raw material has a key impact on the enzymatic process as well as the final product quality. Since flax fibres are highly variable in quality, subjective assessments are not sufficient in assessment of the suitability of the fibre for different end purposes. Thus, standardised techniques are required for flax quality assessment.
A.2. Need for a COST Action
Several research groups in Europe are engaged in the areas related to the Action and there is huge need to combine the efforts in the area in order to improve the competitiviness of the textile science as well as textile industry as compared to the USA. COST Action offers the best framework for such co-operation. Thus the experts listed in Part II. Appendix G, have been collaboratively preparing this proposal for a new COST Action.
The textile industry is often identified as a key sector where opportunities available for adapting biotechnology are high but current awareness of is very low. This is mainly due to the large number of SMEs manufacturing textiles especially in the Southern parts of Europe. The planned COST action is focused on a specialised area of textile processing, i.e. on the quality of fibres and on biotechnical applications. Some of these biotechnical applications are already used in industrial scale although basic research enabling further development of existing processes or completely novel applications is still limited in Europe as compared to USA. The main aim of this COST action is to enhance the interaction of European research groups active in different fields of the textile biotechnology area. As a result novel biotechnological applications for textile processing can be expected to be developed, supporting the competitiveness of the research as well as industry. The ongoing European research projects related to the area of the Action mostly cover specified areas of textile biotechnology and no concentrated effort in combining this information has been accomplished. Due to the multidisciplinary expertise required in the textile biotechnology research, this COST-action would provide new means for exchanging information on an European level.
An analysis of the research in Europe relevant to the proposed action is presented in Appendix I. Interaction of these ongoing projects and the COST Action will be ensured by active participation of the respective key scientists in the Action.
B. OBJECTIVES AND BENEFITS
B.1. Objectives
The main objective of the Action is to develop environmentally friendly production technologies for textile industry by using enzymatic processes. By using these biotechnical methods energy or chemicals can be saved or, alternatively, the final product quality can be improved. In the COST action new applications using enzymes acting on both cellulose- and protein based textile materials will be studied and developed. This will be achieved by exchanging research information within European research units active in textile biotechnology oriented research.
The secondary objectives of the Action are the following:
- To increase basic as well as applied knowledge required to set up quality standards for assessing flax fibre using physical, chemical and instrumental techniques. Biochemical, spectroscopic and thermal methods would be compared and contrasted with physical methods and the most suitable techniques would be developed for use by the industry.
- to develop standards and to support the fledgling non-textile end-users by providing quality characteristics for flax assessment.
- understanding of the structure-function relationships of textile fibres. Special emphasis is put on understanding the effects of targeted surface specific modifications obtained with enzymes on technical properties of textile fibres
- evaluation of the potential of existing and novel enzyme activities on the properties of textile fibres. This will eventually lead to development of novel biotechnical process stages for textile industry.
B.2. Benefits
The scientific outcome of the action will contribute to the development of new enzymatic processes for the textile industry resulting in more environmentally friendly production technologies, chemical and energy savings as well as improvement in the final product quality. The Action will have a key impact on development of European textile research by facilitating efficient communication between biochemists, chemists, chemometrians and textile scientists. Thus, the know-how of biochemistry experts will be combined to the know-how of textile scientists. Furthermore, the Action will contribute to the development of quality standards of flax fibre and test protocols. The action will help the SME's having limited research facilities in developing new enzymatic processes for wool, cotton and other cellulosic fabrics. Adopting of new methodologies is important for the competitiveness of the sector, with respect to e.g. USA. The Action will also have benefit for the European agriculture as the properties of the European fibres (flax, hemp, wool) will be investigated and modified thus opening up more of the European apparel market to home-produced fibre.
During the Action know-how about enzymatic processes and fibre assessment techniques is delivered to the textile companies through annual workshops and scientific publications. Textile knowledge is also transferred to experts on enzymology thus leading to potential development of novel enzyme systems for textile purposes. Thus, as the COST action provides exchange of information between research institutes specialised either in biotechnology or textile processing the entire area of textile biotechnology will be improved.
C. SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME
Research within textile biotechnology is very broad and involves areas such as enzymology, chemistry, fibre testing, textile technology and effluent treatment process technology. The natural textile fibres can be divided in two groups, i.e. cellulose based and protein based fibres. Due to the different chemical composition of these fibres, the potential enzymes for their modification are distinct. In addition to the chemistry of the fibres also the macrostructure of the textile material and the process conditions affect the enzyme effect. Thus same enzymes can result in different types of finishing effects on different materials. Research related to the biochemistry of polysaccharide and protein-degrading enzymes is well established in Europe, but most of the research has been focused on other types of substrates than textile fibres. This action will focus on evaluating the effects of structural modifications obtained by these various enzymes on the functional properties of the textile materials and the potential of enzymes rendering the production processes more sustainable and eco-efficient.
The proposed COST Action covers 4 areas as presented below. The participation of the experts in each WG is presented in Part II, Section K. Industrial companies interested in the Action and its WG's are presented in Part II, Sections H and L.
1. Quality assessment of flax
1.1. Effect of cultivar, sowing, pulling and retting on fibre and yarn quality
1.2. Modification of fine characteristics of fibre for different end-use applications
1.3. Quality assessment of fibre and yarn with physical, chemical and instrumental methods
2. Bioprocessing of bast fibres (flax, hemp)
2.1. Enzymatic retting of bast fibres
2.2. Enzymatic finishing of linen
3. Bioprocessing of cellulosic fibres
3.1. Bioscouring of cotton
3.2. Enzymatic finishing of cellulosic materials such as cotton, viscose, Lyocell, Tencel
3.3. Bioprocessing of textile effluents
4. Bioprocessing of animal fibres
4.1. Enzymatic scouring of wool
4.2. Enzymatic finishing of wool
4.3. Enzymes in silk processing
All these areas will be approached by a combination of different scientific expertises: enzymology, biochemistry, surface chemistry and textile technology. Thus, multidisciplinary approach is required in each case. Ongoing national and European projects and their relation to the WGs are indicated in Part II, Section J.
WG 1. Quality assessment of flax
Currently a wide range of flax cultivars is available in the market and the quality of the crop will depend on conditions during sowing, growing, pulling and retting. An extensive research programme encompassing both agronomic and quality aspects is in progress. Preliminary results of this work have shown that fibre fineness and final quality of the yarn produced can be affected by the crop management techniques.
The cell-wall chemistry of fibre needs to be investigated in fine detail, so that new outlets for European fibres could be developed by controlled enzymatic hydrolysis (retting) of fibre components and other physico-chemical methods. This would allow fine control during production of fibres with the degree of suppleness and elasticity not generally associated with linen. The end- and by-products of this processing route would be useful for production of short fibre, long fibre, non-wovens, matrices for thermoplastics and others.
New methods for improved processing of bast fibres, long fibres as well as short-staple fibres, have been developed with respect to ecological and economic requirements. Special emphasis has been given to new methods such as, steam explosion treatment of bast fibres and specific fibre preparation techniques for producing high quality short fibres. The versatile processes can be selectively adapted to the input quality and the final application-needs of the fibres. This allows not only to over-ride the inherent variability of the material to produce consistent fibre qualities but moreover to design specific fibre properties. These fibre samples will be tested for spinning, weaving, knitting and finishing.
A range of techniques can be used for assessing fibre and yarn during different stages of processing and correlate the changes in physical, chemical, biochemical and instrumental characteristics of the test materials to weaving efficiency or other test parameters. Quality models could be developed from the relationship between the various parameters using multivariate analysis. Quality of fibre or yarn could be assessed rapidly using some of the instrumental techniques, i.e. spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and laser scanning. The suitability of different methods for linen characterization will be discussed in the Action. Some of the methods are currently used in e.g. cotton and wool industry and thus the methods will be transfered to the flax assessment.
In addition intensive research on other aspects including breeding, retting and processing of the retted flax, and processing of fibre, yarn and fabric are in progress. Thus, a co-ordinated approach will increase the awareness and level of research within all areas. The ongoing research funded by EU and other National programmes relevant to the proposed action is listed in appendix I.
WG 2. Bioprocessing of bast fibres
The moist climate in Northern Europe is generally favourable for producing good quality flax plants. However, the main reason preventing the expansion of flax growing as an alternative crop to cereals, has been due to lack of consistent weather conditions for dew-retting during August-September especially in the peripheral northern European countries such as UK, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland. Dew-retting is achieved in the field by micro-organisms growing on the plant and releasing polysaccharide degrading enzymes. As a result the fibre cementing materials are hydrolysed. Various attempts have been made since the early 1980's to introduce more rapid and controllable enzymatic retting processes by researchers based in Northern Ireland, Belgium and elsewhere. However a commercially viable process could not be developed due to high costs of the available enzymes and cyclical nature of the linen business. Enzymatic retting process and its suitability as replacement for the traditional dew-retting processes will be investigated during the COST action. Potential of new types of retting-enzymes will also be screened and evaluated.
Traditionally hemp was widely grown in France, Italy and other parts of Europe. Growing demand for hemp textiles has heightened interest in this crop in France, Italy, Ireland, UK and other countries. However, problems associated with retting to separate the woody core from the fibre need to be solved before the crop can be grown widely in Europe and preliminary work on enzymatic processing of hemp has been reported. The potential of biotechnological application to enhance the potential of hemp fibre will also be discussed.
The uniformity of microbial breakdown during dew-retting of flax straw is influenced not only by the vagaries of weather conditions but also by their growth conditions. Problems during bleaching and dyeing mainly caused by irregular degradation of the polysaccharide matrix in straw can be traced to growth retardation during early stage of growth, which in turn could affect retting and scutching. In addition, highly lignified stem tissues, which is generally known as sprit can cause severe problems during bleaching and dyeing. This can be further aggravated, if the material was woven as blend with other fibres, such as viscose, wool, silk, which cannot be treated with strong oxidising agent. Consequently, there is a need for a specific chemical and enzymatic treatments which could eliminate the problems before wet-spinning stage. The benefits of using specific enzyme formulation to hydrolyse a specific component, such as pectin, hemi-cellulose and lignin by their respective enzymes are quite clear. Consequently, damage to cellulose fibrils could be eliminated or minimised, which should result in higher yarn count. The possibility of treating flax rove bobbins with specific enzymes will be investigated during the COST action.
The potential use of specific enzymes to reduce or eliminate chlorination during bleaching of flax rove bobbins have also been raised by various researchers. It is quite clear that biotechnology could reduce environmental impact of processing. This will also be discussed during this COST action programme. WG 2 is closely interlinked with WG 1 as both are related to flax and its properties and processing technologies.
WG 3. Bioprocessing of cellulosic fibres
Scouring and bleaching of cotton fabrics are also attractive targets for enzyme-based processes, due to the severe environmental impact of these processes. These processes are also very energy demanding. Raw cotton contains about 10 % of impurities. Reports have shown that pectins, waxes and coloured components can all be partially removed from raw cotton by enzymatic treatments but that the residual seed coatings remain a problem. The bioscouring process could result in chemical and energy savings and improved quality of the product. Especially in the USA extensive research is carried out concerning enzymatic removal of cotton impurities. The potential of bioscouring for cotton processing will be evaluated during the COST action.
Cellulase treatment of cellulosic materials, such as cotton, viscose, lyocell, cupro or polynosic fabrics and their blends, has gained increasing interest with growing consumer and industrial concern about environmental issues. The best known applications of cellulases are in denim garment washing, biostoning, as an alternative to stone washing and in surface modification of cotton fabrics, biofinishing, to improve the surface properties. Cellulase enzymes can replace the pumice stones and result less damage to the cloths, machinery and environment. In biofinishing cellulases remove fuzz from the surface of cellulosic fibres, which eliminates pilling, making the fabrics smoother and cleaner-looking. This technique is particularly promising for the new generation of solvent spun cellulosic fibres such as Tencel and Lyocell. The exploitation of novel cellulase processes for textile industry has been enabled by the development of molecular engineering techniques. Thus, efficient production systems for monocomponent cellulases exist and as a result the suitability of the different cellulases on cotton processing can be evaluated. The effect of monocomponent cellulases and their mixtures for the modification of fabrics and yarns made of cotton or regenerated cellulosic fibres (viscose, Lyocell, Tencel) will be elucidated during the COST action.
Biotechnical processing of textile effluents will also be investigated within the WG 3. The traditional textile wetting industry consumes about 100 litres of water to process about 1 kg of textile materials. There is currently a strong need for closed-loop technologies leading to a reduction in water consumption. The objectives of this COST action and related research projects in this area is the promotion of enzymatic processes enabling on-site water treatment and recycling within textile bleaching and dyeing.
WG 4. Bioprocessing of animal fibres
Animal fibres such as wool, cashmere, angora are composed of proteins with some lipids in the fibres surface. Wool is a relatively expensive fibre when compared with other natural and synthetic fibres and its position as a high quality, luxury fibre permits relatively costly processing and finishing treatments to be carried out, increasing the value of wool textiles, but without incurring excessive cost relative to value.
One of the intrinsic properties of wool and other animal fibres is their tendency to felt and shrink thus limiting the use of untreated wool materials as machine washable textiles. The hydrophobic character and the scale structure of the wool surface are the main factors resulting in a differential frictional effect (DFE) which is responsible for the tendency for the fibres to move towards their root end when mechanical action is applied in the wet state. The shrinkage behaviour of wool can be regulated to a greater or lesser degree by various chemical means, however, choices are more limited if it is desired to achieve the high performance demanded by consumers, particularly with the increasing tendency towards tumble dryability properties as part of the consumer trend to "easy care" properties. Shrinkproofing processes aim at the modification of the fibre surface by oxidative / reductive methods and the subsequent application of a polymer resin onto the surface. The dominant shrink-resist process is the chlorine/Hercosett process, which consists of a chlorination step followed by a de-chlorination step and polymer application. Chlorination produces by-products (AOX, Absorbable Organic Halogen Compounds) which appear in the effluent and ultimately may generate toxicity in the whole food chain by being taken up by aquatic organisms. Thus there is constant need for eco-efficient processes for wool.
The use of proteases for modification of wool fabrics has been investigated especially in Germany (DWI) and in Spain. Proteases are being used to decrease the felting tendency of wool and to improve the feel of the fabrics by imparting soft and smooth handle. Also they are being studied as auxiliary agents in dyeing. A shrink-resist level for severe machine washed wool is achieved by combining chemical or physical methods with enzyme treatment. Enzyme treated wool exhibits reduced prickle, enchanted luster and softness, and a higher degree of whiteness. The dye-ability of enzyme treated wool is ameliorated compared to the reference. The problem with proteases is their controllability. Excessive protease treatment can damage the wool most severely especially if used on top of an oxidative process. Thus thorough research is required on evaluating the suitability of existing proteases on wool processing. In addition other types of enzyme activities could also be beneficial for wool processing. The suitability of different types of enzymes potentially acting on wool proteins will be investigated in the Action.
Enzymes can also be used for degumming of silk and for producing sandwashed effects on silk garments. The suitability of enzymatic processes for silk processing will also be investigated during the COST action.
D. ORGANISATION AND TIMETABLE
D.1. Organisation
The duration of the Action is planned for four years. All experts consulted during the preparation of the Action (Appendix G) will participate in the Action. The Action will be managed by a management committee (MC). The representatives of the management committee, i.e. Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Working Group (WG) co-ordinators and representatives appointed by the Signatories of the MoU will be set up following the signing by the appointed number of signatories to the MoU. The MC will work out its rule of operation at its first formal meeting in accordance with existing COST regulations.
The Action will be divided into the following 4 working groups (short title indicated in parenthesis):
1. Production and quality of flax (QUALITY)
2. Biotechnical processing of bast fibres (BAST FIBRES)
3. Enzymatic processing of cotton and regenerated fibres (viscose, Lyocell, Tencel) (CELLULOSIC FIBRES)
4. Enzymatic processing of animal fibres (ANIMAL FIBRES)
Each WG will have a WG co-ordinator being elected by the Management Committee. Working group co-ordinator will be responsible for co-ordinating activities and ensuring that the Action direction meets the overall objectives. The working group co-ordinator will also be a member of the MC. Overseeing the activities of the WG will be the responsibility of the MC. The work in the WG's will include annual workshops, smaller meetings of selected groups of experts within and between WG's.
The interaction of the Action with International research programmes and networks and other COST actions will be ensured by meetings and joint seminars. Interaction with the European Textile and Clothing Research Network (funded by EU/Brite Euram) will be established. The Action will also be interacting with the FAO European Cooperative Network on Flax and other Bast Plants (ESCORENA) and AUTEX (Association of Universities for Textiles).
D.2. Time-table
Co-ordination of the Action is achieved by means of a Working group meetings, which will be held every 6th month. The meetings will be organised by the participating institutes or universities. The Action will be concluded with a Final Evaluation meeting.
The Management Committee will meet twice a year. As a general rule MC meeting will be held in conjunction with a WG meeting. The COST National Co-ordinator (CSO) member, the national representative in the Technical committee for Agriculture and Biotechnology of the host country and eventually non-COST Experts will be invited. Other management details will be decided upon the first MC meeting.
In addition to the working group meeting annual workshops will be organised. The topics of the workshops will be focused on different areas, which would be of industrial interest, especially for the SME-enterprises. These workshops will be open for research institutes, universities and industrial companies working in the area.
In order to ensure efficient exchange of information the Action will establish a dedicated Website. During the proposed Action exchange of scientists between laboratories will be encouraged through Short-term Missions.
E. OUTPUTS, DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION
E. 1. Outputs and dissemination
The COST Action will result in outputs that will not be otherwise realised.
Communication within the Action and WG's will be maintained mainly via e-mail. In addition an own WEB-site of the Action will be established enabling efficient dissemination of the results.
Exchange of scientists and joint experimentation will be facilitated by Short Term Scientific Missions and at least 5 missions are planned each year. Special emphasis will be put to awards these missions to young scientists, particularly from less-developed regions.
During the first half-year period of the action a detailed dissemination plan will be prepared by the management committee. Basically the results will be disseminated via the following routes:
1) Annual workshops with respective proceedings books
2) Scientific publications
3) Web-site
4) News letter
Two different types of workshops will be organised during the action: 1) rather scientific workshops intended mainly to the research institutes and universities, 2) more practical workshops in which the scientific results are implemented to the textile industry. Collaborative scientific publications will be prepared during the Action.
E. 2. Exploitation
As the content of the Action is applied science, it can be expected that some of the results can be exploited in industrial scale within the time frame of the project. It has to be emphasised, however, that the focus is on understanding the structure-function relationships of textile fibres and to evaluate the potential of different enzyme activities on the modification of textile materials. Thus the results obtained in the Action will enable the further research on screening and development of efficient enzyme systems to be used in industrial scale. This research will be carried out in separate projects with EU or national funding.
F. ECONOMIC DIMENSION
The following COST countries have actively participated in the preparations of the Action: Finland, United Kingdom, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, Iceland, France, Poland, Belgium, Czech Republic and Denmark.
On the basis of the national estimates provided by the representatives of these countries the overall cost of the activities to be carried out under the Action (years 2000- 2003) has been estimated to be roughly 15,5 MEURO.
PART II . Additional Information.
Wissenschaftliches Gebiet (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS klassifiziert Projekte mit EuroSciVoc, einer mehrsprachigen Taxonomie der Wissenschaftsbereiche, durch einen halbautomatischen Prozess, der auf Verfahren der Verarbeitung natürlicher Sprache beruht. Siehe: Das European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS klassifiziert Projekte mit EuroSciVoc, einer mehrsprachigen Taxonomie der Wissenschaftsbereiche, durch einen halbautomatischen Prozess, der auf Verfahren der Verarbeitung natürlicher Sprache beruht. Siehe: Das European Science Vocabulary.
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Programm/Programme
Mehrjährige Finanzierungsprogramme, in denen die Prioritäten der EU für Forschung und Innovation festgelegt sind.
Mehrjährige Finanzierungsprogramme, in denen die Prioritäten der EU für Forschung und Innovation festgelegt sind.
Thema/Themen
Aufforderungen zur Einreichung von Vorschlägen sind nach Themen gegliedert. Ein Thema definiert einen bestimmten Bereich oder ein Gebiet, zu dem Vorschläge eingereicht werden können. Die Beschreibung eines Themas umfasst seinen spezifischen Umfang und die erwarteten Auswirkungen des finanzierten Projekts.
Aufforderungen zur Einreichung von Vorschlägen sind nach Themen gegliedert. Ein Thema definiert einen bestimmten Bereich oder ein Gebiet, zu dem Vorschläge eingereicht werden können. Die Beschreibung eines Themas umfasst seinen spezifischen Umfang und die erwarteten Auswirkungen des finanzierten Projekts.
Aufforderung zur Vorschlagseinreichung
Verfahren zur Aufforderung zur Einreichung von Projektvorschlägen mit dem Ziel, eine EU-Finanzierung zu erhalten.
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Verfahren zur Aufforderung zur Einreichung von Projektvorschlägen mit dem Ziel, eine EU-Finanzierung zu erhalten.
Finanzierungsplan
Finanzierungsregelung (oder „Art der Maßnahme“) innerhalb eines Programms mit gemeinsamen Merkmalen. Sieht folgendes vor: den Umfang der finanzierten Maßnahmen, den Erstattungssatz, spezifische Bewertungskriterien für die Finanzierung und die Verwendung vereinfachter Kostenformen wie Pauschalbeträge.
Finanzierungsregelung (oder „Art der Maßnahme“) innerhalb eines Programms mit gemeinsamen Merkmalen. Sieht folgendes vor: den Umfang der finanzierten Maßnahmen, den Erstattungssatz, spezifische Bewertungskriterien für die Finanzierung und die Verwendung vereinfachter Kostenformen wie Pauschalbeträge.
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Koordinator
Finnland
Die Gesamtkosten, die dieser Organisation durch die Beteiligung am Projekt entstanden sind, einschließlich der direkten und indirekten Kosten. Dieser Betrag ist Teil des Gesamtbudgets des Projekts.