Textile fibres from algae – harvesting, extraction and production

The textile industry accounts for nearly 10% of the global carbon dioxide emissions which is more than the combined emissions from maritime shipping and international flights. Two thirds of the textile fibre feedstock are still fossil-based. The main biobased feedstock, cotton, is characterised by energy-intensive production processes. 

Seaweed is a blue biobased feedstock with great potential for textile manufacturing. The production of algae involves an ecosystem benefit with carbon dioxide fixation and uptake of nutrients (counteracts eutrophication).

 In the KELPTEX project, alginate-rich fractions – extracted using novel energy-efficient biorefinery methods - will be wet-spun into textile filaments, at both lab and pilot scale. Moreover, a resource-efficient spray technique will be investigtated to dye the textiles using an algae-based pigment The goal is to create a sustainable and circular alternative to traditional fossil and bio-based fibers.

The project is coordinated by Chalmers Industriteknik with RISE being responsible for the main technological development (alginate-based textile fiber manufacturing), in close collaboration with Manatee Biomaterials (alginate extraction) and Mounid (textile dyeing).