Synthetic fibers, mainly polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (PA), polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polypropylene (PP), are the most widely used polymers in the textile industry. These fibers surpass the production of natural fibers with a market share of 54.4%. The advantages of these fibers are their high modulus and strength, stiffness, stretch or elasticity, wrinkle and abrasion resistances, relatively low cost, convenient processing, tailorable performance and easy recycling. The downside to synthetic fibers use are reduced wearing comfort, build-up of electrostatic charge, the tendency to pill, difficulties in finishing, poor soil release properties and low dyeability. These disadvantages are largely associated with their hydrophobic nature. To render their surfaces hydrophilic, various physical, chemical and bulk modification methods are employed to mimic the advantageous properties of their natural counterparts. This review is focused on the application of recent methods for the modification of synthetic textiles using physical methods (corona discharge, plasma, laser, electron beam and neutron irradiations), chemical methods (ozone-gas treatment, supercritical carbon dioxide technique, vapor deposition, surface grafting, enzymatic modification, sol-gel technique, layer-by-layer deposition of nano-materials, micro-encapsulation method and treatment with different reagents) and bulk modification methods by blending polymers with different compounds in extrusion to absorb different colorants. Nowadays, the bulk and surface functionalization of synthetic fibers for various applications is considered as one of the best methods for modern textile finishing processes (Tomasino, 1992). This last stage of textile processing has employed new routes to demonstrate the great potential of nano-science and technology for this industry (Lewin, 2007). Combination of physical technologies and nano-science enhances the durability of textile materials against washing, ultraviolet radiation, friction, abrasion, tension and fading (Kirk–Othmer, 1998). European methods for application of new functional finishing materials must meet high ethical demands for environmental-friendly processing (Fourne, 1999). For this purpose the process of textile finishing is optimized by different researchers in new findings (Elices & Llorca, 2002). Application of inorganic and organic nano-particles have enhanced synthetic fibers attributes, such as softness, durability, breathability, water repellency, fire retardancy and antimicrobial properties (Franz, 2003; McIntyre, 2005; Xanthos, 2005). This review article gives an application overview of various physical and chemical methods of inorganic and organic structured material as potential modifying agents of textiles with emphasis on dyeability enhancements. The composition of synthetic fibers includes polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamides (PA) or polyacrylonitrile (PAN). Synthetic fibers already hold a 54% market share in the fiber market. Of this market share, PET alone accounts for almost 50% of all fiber materials in 2008 (Gubitz & Cavaco-Paulo, 2008). Polypropylene, a major component for the nonwovens market accounts for 10% of the market share of both natural and synthetic fibers worldwide (INDA, 2008 and Aizenshtein, 2008). It is apparent that synthetic polymers have unique properties, such as high uniformity, mechanical strength and resistance to chemicals or abrasion. However, high hydrophobicity, the build-up of static charges, poor breathability, and resistant to finishing are undesirable properties of synthetic materials (Gubitz & Cavaco-Paulo, 2008). Synthetic textile fibers typically undergo a variety of pre-treatments before dyeing and printing is feasible. Compared to their cotton counterparts, fabrics made from synthetic fibers undergo mild scouring before dyeing. Nonetheless, these treatments still create undesirable process conditions wh
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This research is commissioned by the professorship Novel Proteins: Insects and Fish, Healthy, Sustainable and Safe (INVIS) and conducted with the aim to investigate the constraints that hinder the uptake of insect-based feed in the Dutch finfish aquaculture branch and advise upon how to initiate a transition within the branch to adopt insect meal in fish feed widely. This is a underlying report of the webinar Insect culture in the Netherlands for feed and food on January 19, 2021.
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The climate change and depletion of the world’s raw materials are commonly acknowledged as the biggest societal challenges. Decreasing the energy use and the related use of fossil fuels and fossil based materials is imperative for the future. Currently 40% of the total European energy consumption and about 45% of the CO2 emissions are related to building construction and utilization (EC, 2015). Almost half of this energy is embodied in materials. Developing sustainable materials to find replacement for traditional building materials is therefore an increasingly important issue. Mycelium biocomposites have a high potential to replace the traditional fossil based building materials. Mycelium is the ‘root network’ of mushrooms, which acts as a natural glue to bind biomass. Mycelium grows through the biomass, which functions simultaneously as a growth substrate and a biocomposite matrix. Different organic residual streams such as straw, sawdust or other agricultural waste can be used as substrate, therefore mycelium biocomposites are totally natural, non-toxic, biological materials which can be grown locally and can be composted after usage (Jones et al., 2018). In the “Building On Mycelium” project Avans University of Applied Sciences, HZ University of Applied Sciences, University of Utrecht and the industrial partners will investigate how the locally available organic waste streams can be used to produce mycelium biocomposites with properties, which make them suitable for the building industry. In this project the focus will be on studying the use of the biocomposite as raw materials for the manufacturing of furniture or interior panels (insulation or acoustic).
To decrease the environmental impact caused by the construction sector, biobased materials need to be further developed to allow better integration and acceptance in the market. Mycelium composites are innovative products, with intrinsic properties which rise the attention of architects, designers and industrial companies. Until now, research has focused on the mechanical properties of mycelium products. The aim has been improving their mechanical strength, to achieve wider application in the construction sector. Alongside this, to introduce mycelium composites to a wider market, the aesthetic experience of the public also needs to be considered. In the context of this proposal, it is argued that users of biobased products can shift their attitudes towards their surroundings by adjusting to the visual aesthetics within their environment or products they surround themselves with (Hekkert, 1997). This can be further attributed to colours which can be experienced as warm or cold, aggressive or inviting, leading to experiences that may include pleasure or displeasure indicating the future success of the bio based product. Mycelium composites can be used as building materials, but also as interior design materials, therefore visible to its user. It is to determine the appropriate methodologies to confer colour to mycelium composites that the companies Impershield and Dorable came together to form the consortium for the present project. The investigated ways are: 1. Through the preliminary colouring of fibres and their use as substrate for mycelium growth 2. The surface treatment of the final product. The Centre of Expertise BioBased Economy (CoEBBE) and the Centre of Applied Research for Art and Design (CARADT) will be guiding the research through their experience with mycelium composites. This project will lay the basis to enhance visual appearance of mycelium composites, with the utilization of natural pigments, natural paints and coatings.
The climate change and depletion of the world’s raw materials are commonly acknowledged as the biggest societal challenges. Decreasing the energy use and the related use of fossil fuels and fossil based materials is imperative for the future. Currently 40% of the total European energy consumption and about 45% of the CO2 emissions are related to building construction and utilization (EC, 2015). Almost half of this energy is embodied in materials. Developing sustainable materials to find replacement for traditional building materials is therefore an increasingly important issue. In the original RAAK-mkb project “Building On Mycelium” Avans University of Applied Sciences, HZ University of Applied Sciences, University of Utrecht, industrial partners, SME’s and branch organisation are investigating how locally available organic waste streams can be used to produce ‘mycelium biocomposites’. Mycelium biocomposites consist of two components: mycelium and biomass fibres. Mycelium is the ‘root network’ of mushrooms, which can act as a ‘natural glue’ to bind biomass. Mycelium grows through the biomass, which functions simultaneously as a growth substrate and a biocomposite matrix. Different organic residual streams such as straw, sawdust or other agricultural waste can be used as substrate, therefore mycelium biocomposites are totally natural, non-toxic, biological materials which can be grown locally and can be composted after usage. Therefore Mycelium biocomposites have a high potential to replace the traditional fossil based building materials. This Raak impuls 2020 project aims to create mycelium biocomposites with properties that make them suitable for the building industry. Specifically the use of the biocomposite as raw materials for the manufacturing of furniture or interior panels (insulation or acoustic).
