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Imagine wearing T-shirts and using food packaging derived entirely from trees. This is what we promise, by reformulating Kraft pulp using a next generation green chemistry process.
About
Global textile production exceeds 100 million metric tons, and is comprised of three major textiles: (1) polyester (a polymer derived from petrochemicals), (2) cotton (a natural product that requires large amounts of water and pesticides) and (3) cellulose (derived from trees). The market for textile is growing rapidly, and for environmental reasons, growth of tree-based textile is preferable. We have invented a process that replaces existing high-risk/high-energy processes that convert tree-based cellulose to textile (rayon process) with an environmentally friendly process that produces next-generation, smart textiles. In parallel, this process can be adapted to produce cellulosic thin films, with similar morphology and boundary properties to films currently derived from petroleum (e.g. polyethylene and polypropylene derived films). Annual demands for packaging films alone represent ~40% of global plastic use, which exceeded 330 million tons in 2016. Our technology is ideally suited to replace petrochemical-derived thin films with cellulosic alternatives, using an environmentally friendly process that is designed to employ existing infrastructure in pulping mills.
Key Benefits
Reduction of green house gas emissions. Expansion of the forest sector's product portfolio. Environmentally benign: replace existing, petrochemical derivatives with wood-derived materials. Biodegradability: cellulose-derived materials do not bio-accumulate. Next Generation Plastics and Clothing: our cellulose-derived materials are readily modified for value added applications, including wearable electronics, low-energy dying, sensors, and fibers impregnated anti-bacterial agents.
Applications
Our cellulose derived materials have similar properties to textiles and plastics derived from petroleum. We anticipate a number of applications, were renewable and biodegradable alternatives are desired to replace petrochemicals. For textiles, these include: next generation clothing with hydrophobic coating, permanent colors that will not wash away, an electronic interface with conductive polymers. For thin films, these include: food packaging, agricultural crop covers, and biomedical applications, including wound dressings with covalently attached pharmaceuticals.