Principal investigator: Kander, Ronald
University: Thomas Jefferson University
Industry partners: Natural Textiles Solutions
At present, the market severely lacks American-processed, high-quality natural textiles, due to the environmental and economic challenges presented by processing fibers through a controlled process called retting. During retting, plants are exposed to moisture, and micro-organisms are allowed to consume cellular tissues such as lignin and pectin surrounding fiber bundles, separating the fiber from the stem. Retting can be facilitated in several environmentally friendly ways, but the best fibers are still yielded from continuous water retting, which is not allowed in the U.S.
This project aims to introduce a closed-loop and continuous sustainable water retting system for natural fibers, which will allow for the highest quality fibers without the major drawbacks of other retting systems. Students will deliver a tabletop retting system, suggestions for an industrial-scale system, and a report on fiber quality across several testing conditions.