The grains behind some of your favorite breakfast cereals can become part of your future wardrobe, according to new research from Europe.
Researchers at Chalmers University in Sweden have discovered a process to change wheat straw and oat peel, left behind after harvest and mill, in textiles.
They hope that it will ultimately lead to new sources of sustainable material, which reduces the dependence on the world of synthetica from non-renewable sources.
Although farmers in Australia have to be convinced, those who work on the border of new materials say there are compelling reasons to explore high fibers to high fashion.
Researchers try to find more sustainable ways to make textile. ((Delivered: Pexels/Zea irish))
Source material
The search for new sources of textiles is not new.
Before the arrival of synthetica such as polyester and manufactured fibers such as district, textiles are made of cotton, wool and silk woven by human history.
But humanity’s demand for affordable fashion is a challenge for sustainability.
The researchers of the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering department of Chalmers University are looking for new sources of cellulose, the structural component of plant cell walls with which they can stand upright.
Cellulose has been used in manufactured textiles since the 1880s.
Diana Bernin says that the process reduces waste and energy consumption. ((Delivered: Chalmers University))
“We looked at what Sweden would have for side streams [from farms] containing cellulose and who would also be available all year round, “said assistant professor Diana Bernin, who was a co-author of the study.
Early applications of cellulose include artificial silk and carbon fibers for light bulbs, but nowadays it is usually from wood and made in district, also known as viscose.
Haverschillen, also known as Rollpen, are a by -product of milling. ((Lever: University of Iowa))
Dr. Bernin said that the process, in which a pulp is made that is comparable to that is used to make paper, difficult, energy-intensive, used toxic chemicals and is linked to deforestation.
“I think it would be better to keep the trees as they are and only cut them if you need them, for example for wood construction, where no other material is that can be replaced,”
she said.
Published in the Royal Society of Chemistry Sustainability Journal, the study tested Tarwestro, Oats Kaf, potato and sugar beet pulp-all by-products produced on Swedish farms.
“We found out that potato and sugar beet are very difficult because they can contain a lot of soil,” said Dr. Bernin.
“But it worked very well for the havers and wheat stro.”
Through a method called Soda -Pulp, the plant material could be dissolved, washed and spun in a fiber, which produced an end product “very similar” with cotton.
More than 60 percent of the world’s substances are synthetic, made from non-renewable sources such as oil. ((Delivered: Deakin University))
“In terms of chemistry, it is the same molecule,” said Dr. Bernin.
“It takes a lot of means to make cotton, and there will not be enough cotton to make clothes for all of us.“
Australian potential
Associate professor Chris Hurren from the Deakin University’s Institute for Frontier Materials in Geelong is also working on reducing the environmental impact of dust.
He said that cotton was about a quarter of the textile range of the world, wool was about 2 percent good, with the remaining 65 to 70 percent consisting of polyester based on oil.
“While the oil exhausts, we must find an alternative source for that,”
he said.
Chris Hurren says that Australia is already experimenting with new sources of sustainable textile. ((Delivered: Deakin University))
If the oatparts and wheat stro can offer a high source of cellulose, they had enormous potential, he said.
“Research can take place in Australia to understand the ability of Australian materials to go on this path,” he said.
“It is certainly something that is needed in the future.“
But while the researchers wanted to add value to what European farmers considered wasting, growers such as Bradley Misicud in Central Queensland are already seeing it as valuable.
On his Kilcumbmin farm, southwest of Mackay, rain is sporadic and the wheat stro is “one of the largest assets of the crop”.
“My personal opinion is that it is too valuable to stand in front of us in the paddock,”
Said Mass Fud.
“Because we don’t have large, strong, long winters, our wheat and yields are not close to what they get south.
Boer Bradley Misfud says that his wheat stro is currently too valuable to lead to experimental textiles. ((Delivered))
“In the beginning we don’t really have a big bulk density of straw, that’s why we are quite careful with taking care of and leaving what we have where it is.”
Mr Miskud said that he usually left about 30 to 40 centimeters of wheat stro in the ground to prevent erosion and retain soil moisture compared to the 10-15 centimeters left in Sweden.
But Queensland is the smallest wheat region of Australia, with the majority of the crop grown in West -Australia, NSW, Victoria and South Australia -where, Mr. Misfud said could be an application.
“It is important that we continue to pursue new alternatives and investigate things,”
he said.
“I just feel that this specific strategy may not work in our area.
“We all learned with minimal to exercises … Capturing moisture is king, and that’s what we all try to do day in day out.”
Beyond the climates where wheat and oats were grown, Dr. said Hurren that people around the world were looking for alternative sources of cellulose.
He said that seaweed, food waste, algae, banana, pineapple, kenaf, bamboo, hemp, coconut, linseed and mixed textiles were being investigated.
The Institute for Frontier Materials from Deakin University is experimenting with a series of new sources for textiles. ((Delivered))
“We have to look at some new sources of fiber to fill the void,” he said.
But he said that strategies to reduce the question also had to be investigated.
“Australia is the world leader in the number of items of clothing that we buy per person … and something like 40 percent of the clothing that comes in is not sold,” he said.
“We just put on [textiles] At the moment in the landfill or burn what we really have to reuse.“
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