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Research & Development Request

BBI2019 RIA Bio-based textile finishing and Polymer compounding

Country of Origin: Italy
Reference Number: RDIT20190710001
Publication Date: 10 July 2019

Summary

Italian researchers, active in the study (catalysis, synthesis, structure-properties relationship and applications) of synthetic and natural macromolecules, are looking for two partners with expertise one in textile finishing formulations and the other in bio-based polymer compounding. The partners are requested to complete a consortium for an H2020 call (BBI-RIA Bio-based Industries Research and Innovation action)  to develop bio-based functional textile products.

Description

An italian research team is active in the areas related to synthesis, properties, characterization of synthetic and biological macromolecules and their applications in life science, rubber technology, advanced texiles, optoelectronics and pac. The team is now working on a new project and it would like to apply it under an H2020-BBI-JTI-2019 call (BBI2019.SO3.R9). The call's specific challenge is to meet market requirements for new textile products outperforming the state of the art in terms of technical properties and sustainability aspects.

The italian researchers' project idea is to develop bio-based fibres and filaments suitable for the production of biodegradable textile products. Biodegradable bio-based fibres will be made of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), polyesters produced by a community of bacteria through aerobic fermentation of carbon sources from wastes. These biopolymers are completely biodegradable under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and have elastomeric/thermoplastic properties, which are tunable according to actual co-monomer composition. Thanks to an improved approach that includes several advances with respect to the state-of-art, the italian researchers are able to recover waste carbon from food and agricultural residues in the form of added value bioplastic that can be cycled back to economic systems to obtain new high performance materials, including new textile products.

Spinning formulations and/or fibres will be functionalized with the addition of bio-based polymers to improve performances and give specific properties to the fibres. Bio-based functional polymers will be chitosan (for antimicrobial property and dyeability and fragrance molecule release), and alginate (for biodegradability and antimicrobial property). Functional polymers will be studied as additives in the spinning dope or as finishing to the textile materials. 



The proposed approach includes several advances with respect to the state-of-art in current PHAs production. Recover waste carbon from food and agricultural residues will be used as feed for bacteria and bioplastic can be cycled back to economic systems to obtain new high performance materials, including new textile products. Now, PHAs are not yet spun into textile fibres at a significant extent.

The italian researchers are searching new partners (university/R&D centre or industry) to complete the consortium 

The partners requested  are two:

1) Textile finishing producer. It should be able to develop bio-based fibres and filaments suitable for the production of biodegradable functional textile products

Finishing formulations will be produced with bio-based additives to improve performances and give specific properties to the textile products (antimicrobial property, dyeability, fragrance molecule release). Additives ranges from biodegradable bio-based molecules to polymers and will be applied using conventional textile finishing technologies.



2) Polymer compounding (university/R&D centre or SME) with expertise in bio-based polymer compounding and mixing (at kg scale)  to develop bio-based fibres and filaments suitable for the production of biodegradable textile products. Spinning formulations will be functionalized by the addition of bio-based additives to improve performances and give specific properties to the fibres (antimicrobial property, dyeability, fragrance molecule release).



Terms and Deadlines

Expected project start: mid 2020

Duration: 48 months

Call Name: BBI2019.SO3.R9 – DEVELOP BIO-BASED FIBRES AND/OR FUNCTIONAL MOLECULES TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF TEXTILE PRODUCTS

Evaluation Scheme: Single-stage submission scheme

Deadline for Call: September 4, 2019

Funding Scheme: Research & Innovation Action

Deadline for Expression of Interest: July 22, 2019

Advantages and Innovations

The proposed polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) that are completely biodegradable under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and have elastomeric/thermoplastic properties, which are tunable according to actual co-monomer composition. The proposed approach includes several advances with respect to the state-of-art in current PHAs production. Recover waste carbon from food and agricultural residues will be used as feed for bacteria and bioplastic can be cycled back to economic systems to obtain new high performance materials, including new textile products. Now, PHAs are not yet spun into textile fibres at a significant extent.

Moreover, spinning formulations and/or fibres will be functionalized with the addition of bio-based additives/finishing to improve performances and give specific properties to the fibres (antimicrobial property and dyeability and fragrance molecule release, wettability, colour change). Functional polymers will be studied as additives in the spinning dope or as finishing to the textile materials.

Stage Of Development

Proposal under development

Requested partner

The partners sought could be universities/R&D centres or industries (SMEs). 

In order to produce novel biodegradable bio-based functional textile fibres, the partners sought are two:

1) Textile finishing producers. It should  be able to prepare water-based formulations for textile finishing containing bio-based functional additives (polymers or molecules)

2) a partner with expertise in bio-based polymer compounding and additives mixing for melt spinning at kg scale.

Additives will be bio-based molecules or bio-based functional polymer to be mixed with a biodegradable bio-based polymer to produce chips suitable for spinning at the scale of kilogrammes.