Award details

Enzymatic upcycling of textile waste into biodegradable mycelium leather

Reference	BB/X01133X/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Paul James
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Professor Gary Black, Dr Jane Scott, Dr MENG ZHANG
Institution	Northumbria University
Department	Fac of Health and Life Sciences
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	303,297
Status	Current
Type	Research Grant
Start date	15/02/2023
End date	14/02/2025
Duration	24 months

Abstract

We will use Industrial biotechnology to upcycle waste polymers from textile fibres into mycelium leather. The disposal of textile fibres is currently causing huge environmental concerns and the conversion of these into a high value product such as leather-like materials would position industrial biotechnology in the centre of the circular economy for the textile industry. We will investigate current textile waste and recycling practices and sites within the North-East to identify the efficiency of these sites and the types of waste materials that can be obtained. We will use a metatranscriptomic approach to bio-prospect for new and novel enzymes that are capable of degrading complex blends of waste textile fibres and upcycle this into mycelium leather. By combining these new enzymes with enzymes previously identified (in literature or via bioinformatics) we aim to produce cocktails of enzymes that are able to degrade the most common waste textile fibre materials (cotton, PET/PE, Nylon) to a substrate material that can be used for mycelium growth. To further improve the circularity of mycelium we will investigate the degradation of post-production treated fungal by enzymes supplied one of our project partners (Prozomix Ltd). A DoE approach will be used to investigate and optimise the make-up of enzyme and additive pre-treatment cocktails that are able to completely degrade complex blends of waste textile fibres. Once the enzyme cocktails have been used on real world textile wastes the substrate produced will be used to grow mycelium and in collaboration with MyKKO produce mycelium leather products. The mycelium leather produced using these substrates will be performance tested to investigate the effect on material properties such as macrostructure and tensile strength.

Summary

Two major challenges for the textile industry in the transition to clean production are developing new ways to make textile materials and finding alternative applications for waste. This research focuses on leather production; using industrial biotechnology to upcycle waste polymers from textile fibres into mycelium leather. Leather is a very specific sector of the industry that is particularly unsustainable; it requires extensive natural resources, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, and releases hazardous chemicals into wastewater during tanning and processing. Despite these issues the demand for leather goods continues to grow with the global market thought to be worth around US$394 billion. In the last decade industry has begun searching for sustainable alternatives to animal leather and designers and innovators have begun to look at materials that can be produced through biological fermentation such as bacterial cellulose and mycelium leather. Mycelium leather is seen as a valid alternative to traditional hide leather and products are available on the market such as Mylo (Bolt Threads) and used by fashion designers and companies such as Stella McCartney and Lululemon. Waste textiles remain an industrial challenge, with 73 % of all textile waste sent to landfill or incinerated in the UK. Traditional recycling routes are not appropriate for all textiles due to either their fibre composition or chemicals components, therefore new uses for these surplus materials are required. The conversion of surplus textile waste into a high value product such as leather-like materials positions industrial biotechnology in the centre of the circular economy for the textile industry. This project ultimately aims to develop a platform that utilises industrial biotechnology to upcycle waste polymers from textile fibres. We propose to develop enzymatic pre-treatment cocktails capable of degrading waste cotton, polyester / polyethylene, Nylon and (to make this process trulycircular) mycelium leather to a nutrient solution capable of sustaining mycelium growth. Therefore, the discovery of new enzymes capable of degrading textile waste and forming enzyme and additive cocktails is a critical aspect of the research. This will be completed through the following main tasks: 1. Identification of enzymes using an "Omic" approach from textile waste and recycling sites and a review of the types of wastes available at those sites. 2. Characterise those enzymes identified and combine with previously characterised enzymes (some in-house) to form pre-treatment cocktails capable of waste textile degradation to produce a growth substrate. 3. Test the ability of the growth substrate produced to sustain fungal growth. 4. From this fungal growth produce a mycelium leather product and test its physical properties to compare to traditional mycelium leather. This project will be carried out in collaboration with a number of project partners and stakeholders that have a vested interest in mycelium leather. Waste and recycling sites will provide access to textile only and textile rich landfill sites for "Omic" sampling, Prozomix will supply enzyme solutions for testing alongside newly discovered enzymes and MyKKO will incorporate the substrates into their production facility, as well as testing of the mycelium leather produced. By bringing together these stakeholders alongside this project, this project will look to move the production of mycelium leather closer to an industrial process providing a low-cost feed stock for mycelium production.

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	Towards a circuar bioeconomy [2022]
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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