Researchers from Japan’s University of Fukui have optimised a decolorisation process which effectively penetrates fabric fibres to remove the dyes with minimal environmental impact. The extracted dyes can be reused, and the fabrics be redyed.
Researchers have identified a type of sustainable glitter that has no impact on the environment. It is made from novel cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) which is extracted from biological sources including cotton.
US researchers have come up with a method to decompose and recycle old polyester textiles to create an alternative to the carcinogenic fluorinated finishes, also known as ‘forever chemicals’.
Scientists in the US have drawn inspiration from the dynamic colour-changing properties of squid skin and developed a new fabric that allows for user-adjusted warmth, breathability, and washability.
Biomimicry to the fore again as Chinese scientists, inspired by the water-collecting abilities of desert beetles and spider silk, develop a yarn capable of harvesting water from fog, providing an innovative solution to water scarcity in arid regions.
A team of scientists at Boston University has developed a metamaterial that can be patterned onto clothing to form a scalable, customisable network, enabling communication between near-field reading devices and battery-free sensing nodes placed within the network.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come up with new filtration membranes based on natural silk and cellulose that can remove contaminants, including ‘forever chemicals’ and heavy metals.
Scientists at the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) have developed a robust yet flexible glove coating using an environmental friendly biopolymer— lignin— in a 3D printing process.
A Canadian researcher has developed a new protective shirt geared to the needs of wildland firefighters. Offering more protection, the new prototype shirt, which is being patented, reduces the total burn area to the body by about six per cent compared with the standard shirt.
Researchers in Japan have developed a method for the depolymerisation of PET that can be applied to selective chemical recycling of both textile and plastic waste mixtures, offering a promising solution for achieving a circular economy.
