While color is one of the primary indicators of sales success within the fashion industry, it is also one of the world’s largest sources of water pollution. Textile mills often dump residual dyes and hazardous chemicals into canals, streams, and rivers. At NC State, researchers from the College of Natural Resources and the Wilson College of Textiles have developed a process that could someday solve this problem — and it involves the use of nanoscopic particles extracted from wood.
Plant structures are complex and include many components. One of these components is nanocellulose, a naturally occurring substance extracted from cellulose — the primary substance of a plant’s cell walls. It is divided into two types: nanocrystals and nanofibrils, both biodegradable and non-toxic. The former is also stronger than steel. With funding from the Research Opportunity Seed Fund Program at the Wilson College of Textiles, Lavoine and her collaborators have developed a process to use nanocellulose to produce clothing items with iridescent features resembling the rainbow-hued shimmer seen on fish scales, bird feathers, and insect bodies.
The researchers extract cellulose from wood chips and the pulp used in papermaking and combine it with water, treating the resulting mixture with acid to uncover nanocrystals. They then purify the mixture to remove undesired components. Once the purification process is complete, the researchers add the mixture to frames so that it can solidify into plastic-like films. Then, using a computer-aided design table, they cut the films into shapes and patterns that can be printed onto clothing items.
Lavoine said nanocellulose in textiles ensures the sustainable use of natural resources, opening a path for novel uses of low-grade wood and traditional timber sources. It could also reduce dye pollution from the fashion industry. The United Nations Environmental Programme found that not only is the dyeing process for fabrics the second largest source of water pollution but that the fashion industry alone is producing 20% of the world’s wastewater. While Lavoine and her collaborators have not figured out how to provide all colors, they are currently working on it. They are also testing the application of nanocellulose on a variety of other items, including phone cases.
Going forward, the researchers will collaborate with NSF I-Corps to commercialize their work. The training program aims to help NC State researchers transition their ideas and inventions into the marketplace through customer discovery and market research.
