The textile and clothing industry is the third largest economic sector worldwide and the second largest consumer industry in Germany after the food industry. It is heavily dependent on oil. The Institute of Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University conducts research on innovative approaches and processes for the use of natural and synthetic fibres from renewable resources.
From a global perspective, the textile industry represents one of the most important sectors of the economy. It covers a wide range of applications, from technological intermediates to consumer goods for end users. Of the approximately 100 million tons of textile fibers produced annually, only about one third are natural fibers. Two thirds are synthetic fibres, of which only about 10% are made from bio-based raw materials such as cellulose. This clearly shows that the textile industry, as a large and important economic sector, depends to a considerable extent on oil. This holds great potential for the transformation towards a bioeconomy.
The Institute of Textile Technology (ITA) at RWTH Aachen University, which has been a member of the BioSC since 2019, is pursuing a holistic approach to establishing a textile bioeconomy. In addition to material and process development, this includes promoting the acceptance of biobased manufacturing methods and products by companies and end customers. Core topics of the ITA are:
In order to establish a textile bioeconomy, innovative approaches and processes for the production of polymers based on renewable raw materials (biopolymers) must be developed that are economically scalable to an industrial level. In order to compensate for the current additional price of biopolymers compared to petroleum-based polymers, the development of new business cases and the "rethinking" of the textile value creation chain are necessary. This might mean, for example, that the additional price is compensated by different players along the value creation chain and does not reach the end consumer. New digital business models that generate savings in sales or logistics, for example, are also conceivable. Furthermore, the additional price can also be justified by an additional benefit for the customer, for example by additional functions compared to conventional textile materials.
In addition to renewable raw materials, CO2 and recycled polymers also represent possible alternative raw material sources for the production of synthetic textile fibers. Finally, there are fields of application such as composite materials for which natural fibres such as flax or hemp are more suitable than synthetic fibres. It is important for all renewable raw material sources to be cultivated sustainably and not to compete with food and feed production.
The Institute of Textile Technology has already developed a number of innovative products for a textile bioeconomy.
Polybutylene succinate (PBS) is a bio-based polyester produced from plant carbohydrates and is compostable.
In the "PBSTex" project, the usability of PBS for textile applications is being investigated using a selection of suitable PBS polymer types. Using multiscale melt spinning processes, PBS filaments are produced and processed into nonwovens, knitted fabrics and wovens. These are validated with regard to their mechanical properties as well as their manufacturing processes and their application in textile products.
CO2 can be a sustainable alternative raw material source to crude oil in the production of polymers. Covestro Deutschland AG, Leverkusen, has developed polyols based on CO2 and has successfully used these polyols in the synthesis of thermoplastic polyurethanes.
At the Institute of Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University, a melt spinning process has been developed in which this CO2-based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) can be successfully processed into elastic fibers on a technical scale. In cooperation with the company FALKE KGaA, Schmallenberg, socks for everyday use have been produced from the fibres.
Fibre composite components are usually reinforced with glass, carbon or aramid fibres. The production of these fibres requires a high energy input and generates correspondingly high CO2 emissions. Natural fiber reinforced composites (NFRP) have the potential to significantly reduce environmental pollution.
In the AiF research project HyPer-NFK, a process for the production of a natural fibre composite material with flax fibres was optimised in such a way that the production costs could be reduced and at the same time the mechanical load-bearing capacity increased.
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