Abstract
Garments industry is one of the most polluting ones, and it mainly uses fossil fuel based textiles with short life that, according to alinear economy principle, are almost fully landfilled or incinerated at their end of life. The recent environmental concerns ontraditional plastics production and the need for more sustainable products is pushing the market towards bio-based andbiodegradable polymers. However, nowadays biopolymers still cover only a limited portion (about 1%) of the global plastic market,and commercial applications of bio-based plastics (BBPs) in textiles are even rarer. Moreover, plastics used for textiles generallycontain non-renewable and non-biodegradable additives and harmful chemicals. These additives are commonly used also incombination with BBPs to improve their processability and thermo-mechanical properties, and limited efforts have been dedicated sofar to the development of bio-based additives.Considering the importance of the circular economy concept for the future plastics market and the rising demand of sustainabletextiles, the aim of GENTEXT project is to develop a new generation of fully bio-based textiles, made of BBPs modified with novelbio-based additives, able to impart functional properties (i.e. UV stability, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity) and goodprocessability to the resulting materials. BBPs with different level of innovation (i.e. poly(lactic acid), poly(hydroxy alkanoate)s andpoly(butylene succinate)) and purposely made bio-additives, prepared starting from renewable resources without the use of harmfulchemicals, will be processed through melt compounding. The most promising formulations will be then melt spun to produce fibersat different draw ratios, that will be fully characterized, putting attention on their functional properties and defining their suitability indifferent textile fields. The environmental gain of this innovation will be evaluated through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).GENTEXT will radically reduce the environmental impact of fashion items and also microfibre generation during washing. Moreover,GENTEXT fibers will be not only fully bio-based and biodegradable, but also easily recyclable. The fine tuning of their formulation willincrease their applicability in different sectors of the textile industry. The outcomes of this project will increase the scientific andtechnological knowledge on the topic related to the sustainability of polymer textiles. Moreover, the implementation of a widecommunication and educational program, based on the engagement of both academia and industry, will bring sustainableinnovation to the field of polymer textiles, thus contributing to the competitive advantage of the Italian excellence worldwide.GENTEXT will provide a consolidated technology platform, thanks to which additives and textiles manufacturers will be able toexpand their portfolio with sustainable products, in compliance with the European Green Deal program.
Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Paola Fabbri
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Chimica, Ambientale e dei Materiali
Coordinatore:
Università degli Studi di Trento(Italy)
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 87.519,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 24
Data di inizio
28/09/2023
Data di fine:
28/02/2026
