Finished garment validates ‘entire process’, Nanollose says
Australian biomaterials developer Nanollose has said tests to make a garment from fabric derived its Nullarbor fibre has been a success and “validates our entire process”.
Nullarbor is a lyocell fibre that, as the name suggests, involves no tree-based material. Instead, it uses microbes to convert waste from food and beverage products into microbial cellulose.
For these trials, it used by-products from coconuts. It turned the waste material into liquid and then let bacteria naturally ferment the liquid into cellulose fibres. This can be created in just 18 days and uses very little water, land, and energy to produce.
Next, it dried the microbial cellulose fibres and had them spun into yarn. The yarn was made into fabric and the fabric made into a garment. All of these developments took place using existing textile industry equipment. It said the final fabric can be created in 18 days using little land, water and energy.
“We have successfully taken waste and created clothing,” said Nanollose managing director, Alfie Germano, “and we followed industrial protocol.”
