When autumn leaves start to fall
02/11/2016
Espoo-based VTT Technical Research Centre has said very little use is made of the millions of leaves most city authorities gather up to keep railways, roads and pavements clear in autumn but that the pigments, carbohydrates, proteins and compounds that leaves contain can endow textiles and other materials with useful functionality such as the ability to inhibit the growth of bacteria.
VTT has developed a process in which leaves gathered in gardens and parks are dried and ground before useful compounds are extracted from them. It is now embarking on a pilot project to use leaf material collected in the Otaniemi district of Espoo by waste disposal company Lassila & Tikanoja.
The research centre has emphasised the environmental friendliness of the overall process and the safety of the compounds produced.
Apart from textiles, it believes there may be applications in cosmetics and in the food industry.
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