Objective The market value of wool is limited by the fact that consumers place increasingly high demands on machine washability and soft handle. Felting shrinkage, which is a typical property of wool due to the configuration of the scales of the wool fibre, is a serious problem, especially during washing. Chlorination, followed by polymer deposition, is commonly used to modify the scales of wool fibres in order to confer shrink-resistance, but this involves major drawbacks with respect to contamination of the wastewater with absorbable organic chlorides (AOX) and the environment.The main innovative aspect of this proposal is to develop novel, genetically engineered proteases with increased molecular size for producing shrink-resistance and other improved properties on wool fibres and fabrics. The project is to develop machine washable wool by limiting the enzymatic degradation of wool fibres to their cuticle scales. Furthermore, other new environmentally friendly processes including efficient bio-scouring and bio-finishing processes, and low temperature dyeing processes for wool fibres will be developed via treatments with a range of specifically engineered proteases. The application of different specifically engineered proteases will also be extended to new detergent formulations for industrial and domestic washing and wool carpet cleaning and thus improve hygienic aspects of wool based textile materials. Fields of science engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processeswastewater treatment processesengineering and technologymaterials engineeringsynthetic dyesnatural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciencesengineering and technologymaterials engineeringtextilesnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymes Programme(s) FP6-SME - Horizontal research activities involving SMEs: Specific activities covering wider field of research under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research programme 2002-2006. Topic(s) SME-1 - Co-operative Research (all areas of science and technology) Call for proposal FP6-2004-SME-COOP See other projects for this call Funding Scheme Data not available Coordinator DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY EU contribution No data Address THE GATEWAY LEICESTER United Kingdom See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Participants (11) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all COLOR-CENTER, S.A. COLORANTES Y PRODUCTOS QUIMICOS Spain EU contribution No data Address Dr. Torras i Bages, 100 TERRASSA See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data DI DR. ANDREAS PAAR KEG Austria EU contribution No data Address Leechgasse 55/8 GRAZ See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data JAMES WEEKERS V.O.F. Netherlands EU contribution No data Address Mercuriusplein 1 GRUBBENVORST See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data LOKATEKS, SKOFJA LOKA,D.O.O. Slovenia EU contribution No data Address Kidriceva 75 SKOFJA LOKA See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK Netherlands EU contribution No data Address Schoemakerstraat 97 DELFT See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET GRAZ Austria EU contribution No data Address Rechbauerstrasse 12 GRAZ See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data TINTS ENRICH SL Spain EU contribution No data Address CARRETERA MOLINS DE REI 201 SABADELL See on map Total cost No data UNIVERSIDADE DO MINHO Portugal EU contribution No data Address Largo do Paco BRAGA See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYA Spain EU contribution No data Address Jordi Girona 31 BARCELONA See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data UNIVERZA V MARIBORU Slovenia EU contribution No data Address Slomskov trg 15 MARIBOR See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data V. O. F. OVIS TEXLA Netherlands EU contribution No data Address Weverstraat 38 DEN BURG - TEXEL See on map Total cost No data