The IGBB is working on alternatives based on biology to replace chemicals commonly used in textile processing. The institute is trying to use scrap from the livestock feed industry to produce chitosan, which is used as a ligation agent in fiber processing or to function as a textile material.

Chitin is the main component of skin and insect shell; This large amount of skins and skins comes from the animal feed industry - since the animal feed industry increasingly relies on insects as a source of protein. Insects have the advantage that they are fast-growing and can be farmed very cheaply with low-value feeds, making them a viable source of protein. So far soya has been used for this purpose, but soybean cultivation is directly competitive with food production. Insect proteins have also been approved as feeds for poultry and pigs. From fall 2017, insects can also be used as fish feed. It is therefore expected that the use of insect protein will become important in the future.

The fodder industry is focused on protein, but the skin and bark of insects are still scrap. If this waste source can be used, it will contribute to the sustainability and economic efficiency of the overall feed production process. Potential is enormous: during development, insect larvae change skin / shell several times. The remaining product contains up to 40% chitin.

In the topic of "ChitoTex," the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB) is investigating how insect chitin from the production of animal feed can be processed to deliver biologically based chemicals for processing. weaving.

Fraunhofer researchers first developed a purification process that separates chitin from the protein and mineral components of the skin and insect shell. "We are investigating ways to reduce acetyl chitin to produce chitosan. With enzyme screening, we search for suitable enzymes for acetylation.

Due to the ability of the film to form, chitosan can be used as a reservoir agent. It reduces the friction between the yarns on the loom and smooths the surface of the yarn or prevents the yarn from breaking during weaving. then the lakes are either shed or remain on the yarn. In any case, substitutes based on biological and natural substitutes for synthetic agents are beneficial to humans and the environment.

The second application could be the function of textile material, ie the finishing of textiles with specific properties. For example, using amino acid functional groups to bind hydrophobic molecules to chitosan. Hydrophobic properties can be achieved when chitosan is applied to the textile material. So far toxic environmentally-friendly fluorocarbon compounds are still widely used for hydrophobic finishing for outdoor textiles.

 

According to vnexpress.net