iBiotech: Upscaling of Microbial Cellulose Production for Fast Fashion and Agricultural Applications

iBiotech：针对快时尚和农业应用的微生物纤维素生产升级

• 批准号: 10074556
• 金额: $ 6.24万
• 依托单位: IBIOTECH LTD
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Grant for R&D
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10074556
• 关键词: iBiotech; Upscaling; Microbial; Cellulose; Production

iBiotech is a small to medium-sized enterprise based in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. Our project focuses on enhancing the yield, quality, and usability of microbial cellulose, an organic material that can be further processed into bio-leather. This sustainable alternative to traditional leather is free of synthetic plastics such as PVC and PU, making it suitable for use in the fashion industry. Our bio-leather is vegan, biodegradable, naturally coloured, and has no toxic or harmful environmental effects. Our goal is to encourage the Fast Fashion Industry to reduce pollution caused by disposable clothing and their production processes by adopting our eco-friendly bio-leather.Although the Fast Fashion Industry has done a lot recently to address pollution issues, the drive towards producing trendy and affordable clothing at a more rapid rate continues. The industry's production cycle and low prices do however come at a high cost to the environment and public health. For example, globally, the fashion industry produces 2.1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year, which is more than the emissions of the aviation and shipping industries combined! Furthermore, the World Bank estimates that 20% of global industrial water pollution comes from the textile dyeing and treatment process, and UK consumers discard around 350,000 tonnes of clothing each year, most of which ends up in landfill or incineration. By using our bio-leather, which has been tested by members of the fashion industry and showcased to International Fashion Houses, the industry can significantly reduce its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, animal cruelty, landfill pollution (due to its biodegradability), and the depletion of natural resources.We plan to increase the production of our bio-material by employing a microbe developed through natural selective breeding. Innovative growth chambers will be designed and constructed to optimise microbial growth, using waste media. We will also reduce processing costs by developing a dehydration unit that is more cost-effective and reproducible. These innovations will enable iBiotech to synthesize more bio-leather, which can be used not only by the Fast Fashion Industry, but also through simple modifications, it can be converted into activated mulch-film; used to reduce fungal growth and crop infections, as well as improve moisture and soil biodiversity.References:Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2017). A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion's future. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/a-new-textiles-economy-redesigning-fashions-futureWorld Bank. (2019). Pollution prevention and abatement handbook: Textiles industry. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/32637WRAP. (2018). Valuing our clothes: The cost of UK fashion. [https://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/valuing-our-clothes-the-cost-of-uk-fashion\_WRAP.pdf][0][0]: https://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/valuing-our-clothes-the-cost-of-uk-fashion_WRAP.pdf

它是一家位于西米德兰兹郡伍尔弗汉普顿的中小型企业。我们的项目重点是提高微生物纤维素的产量、质量和可用性，微生物纤维素是一种有机材料，可以进一步加工成生物皮革。这种可持续的传统皮革替代品不含PVC和PU等合成塑料，因此适合在时尚行业使用。我们的生物皮革是纯素的、可生物降解的、自然着色的，并且对环境没有毒性或有害影响。我们的目标是鼓励快时尚行业通过采用我们的环保生物皮革来减少一次性服装及其生产过程所造成的污染。尽管快时尚产业最近为解决污染问题做了很多工作，但以更快的速度生产时尚和负担得起的服装的动力仍在继续。然而，该行业的生产周期和低廉的价格确实给环境和公众健康带来了高昂的代价。例如，在全球范围内，时装业每年产生21亿吨温室气体排放，这比航空和航运业的排放量总和还要多！此外，世界银行估计，全球20%的工业水污染来自纺织品染色和处理过程，英国消费者每年丢弃约35万吨服装，其中大部分最终被填埋或焚烧。通过使用我们的生物皮革，这些皮革已经过时尚行业成员的测试并向国际时装公司展示，该行业可以显着减少温室气体排放，虐待动物，垃圾填埋场污染（由于其可生物降解性）以及自然资源的枯竭。我们计划利用通过自然选择育种开发的微生物来增加我们的生物材料的产量。创新的生长室将被设计和建造，以优化微生物的生长，利用废物培养基。我们还将通过开发更具成本效益和可重复性的脱水装置来降低加工成本。这些创新将使itbiotech能够合成更多的生物皮革，不仅可以用于快时尚行业，而且通过简单的修饰，可以将其转化为活化的覆盖膜；用于减少真菌生长和作物感染，以及改善水分和土壤生物多样性。参考资料：艾伦·麦克阿瑟基金会。(2017)。新的纺织经济：重新设计时尚的未来。https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/a-new-textiles-economy-redesigning-fashions-futureWorld银行。(2019)。污染防治手册：纺织工业。https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/32637WRAP。(2018)。估价我们的衣服：英国时尚的成本。[https://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/valuing-our-clothes-the-cost-of-uk-fashion \ _WRAP.pdf] [0] [0]: https://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/valuing-our-clothes-the-cost-of-uk-fashion_WRAP.pdf