Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology have developed a method to create sustainable textiles from agricultural waste, such as oat husks and wheat straw. This innovation could significantly reduce the environmental impact of the clothing industry.
Researchers from the Chalmers University of Technology have unveiled a new method to convert agricultural waste into cellulose-based textiles, potentially revolutionizing the fashion industry.
The team’s study, published in RSC Sustainability, explores the use of oat husks and wheat straw to produce a type of cellulose pulp known as dissolving pulp. This pulp is an essential raw material in textile manufacturing.
Traditional production relies heavily on water-intensive cotton or wood-based cellulose, which both have significant environmental drawbacks. By contrast, this new method utilizes agricultural by-products, enhancing the value of what would otherwise be waste.
“With this method, which we further developed in this study, we show that you can make textile pulp from certain agricultural waste products,” senior researcher Diana Bernin, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Chalmers, said in a news release. “This is an important step towards being able to create textiles from waste products instead of using cotton, which isn’t climate-friendly, or wood, a material that we want to use for so many things while also needing to preserve it for the benefit of the climate.”
Sustainable Manufacturing Process
The researchers utilized soda pulping in their process, a method where raw materials are boiled in lye. This approach not only eliminates toxins but also simplifies the procedure by reducing the need for extensive chemical processing.
“Lye doesn’t contain any toxins or substances that impact nature,” Bernin added. “Soda pulping doesn’t work for wood fibers, so making textile pulp from wheat straw and oat husks requires fewer chemicals than making forest-based cellulose. It’s also a simpler procedure, in part because it doesn’t require processing such as chipping and debarking. In addition, it increases the economic value of oats and wheat, when leftovers from their production can be used as raw materials for cellulose extraction.”
Expanding Potential Uses
The study’s findings hint at broader applications. Preliminary results from continued studies suggest that press-cake from field grass also shows promise for creating dissolving pulp. This could pave the way for a diverse range of agricultural residues to be repurposed into sustainable textiles.
Bernin sees significant opportunities in utilizing existing pulp-and-paper industries, which already have infrastructure and processes in place for cellulose extraction.
“If we can make use of our existing industry and adjust their processes instead of building new production facilities, we’ve already come a long way,” she added.
Lead author Joanna Wojtasz, a former postdoc at Chalmers and now a researcher at the innovation company Tree To Textile, one of the project’s partners, emphasizes the potential impact of the research.
“The study shows that there is a lot of potential in agricultural waste. We really shouldn’t disregard the opportunity to use this type of cellulose streams for our future clothing,” she said in the news release.
Source: Chalmers University