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Activity Funded

Fiber Materials and Environmental Technologies

Materiais Fibrosos e Tecnologias Ambientais

Reference
UIDB/00195/2020
Project Start Date
2020-01-01
Project End Date
2024-12-31
Principal Investigator
Scientific Area
Engineering and technology
Funding Program
Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017/2018) - Financiamento Base

Abstract

10.2 Summary in English for general dissemination purposes The FibEnTech research unit aims to develop fundamental and applied research to contribute to the advancement of fibrous materials, structured and composite, with applications in the areas of textile, paper and packaging, health and welfare, automotive, among others, using mainly renewable raw materials through innovative and energetic and environmentally sustainable processes and technologies. The sustainability analysis of new products and processes, the recycling of solid wastes such as post-consumer textiles, forest wastes and effluents promoting circular economy, is one of the priorities of the unit. The Mission defined for the FibEnTech unit, in consistency with the UBI Mission, is to establish strategic projects in partnership with other research institutions, enterprises and local authorities, integrating in the working teams master and doctoral students, to have a continuous increase of critical mass and knowledge that allows transferring technology. Having in mind its Mission, this research unit has elected as main objective the subjects described below. The use of renewable raw materials, such as wood, agriculture residues and industrial processes side-stream, as a source of chemicals, energy and polymers, replacing the oil-based counterparts is one of the unit research areas. Liberate the wood constitutive elements in a controlled and sustainable way is a major challenge. The transformation of these elements of natural and renewable origin into films, composites and filaments with textile applications is one of the paths to be explored. Functionalization of these materials, including textile structures, tailoring their hydrophobicity and/or controlling their nanotopography in order to confer them antimicrobial properties, using green techniques and nanotechnology, is a priority. Aesthetic and functional design of textile fabrics and garments technically more advanced to conquer most demanding markets where differentiation is on innovation by incorporating technology and fashion. Fashion Design on sustainability, social innovation, collaborative economy and effects and repercussions in fashion business, fashion designers and suppliers and circular economy. Regarding environmental technologies, work will be developed in order to treat and allow the reuse of wastewaters. Membranes and advanced oxidation processes (ozonolysis, electro-oxidation, electrocoagulation, electro-Fenton, chemical precipitation) will be used for effluents with high organic load, and integrated with constructed wetlands, working in horizontal subsurface or in vertical flows, micro-algal cultivation or photoelectrocatalysis, with perovskitic materials, for the final depuration of the effluents. The solutions treated by the different processes will be evaluated for their toxicity. The resulting treated effluents will be utilized for the upgrade of the study of hydroponic dual system, as a tuning for domestic wastewater or crop production. 10.3 Summary in English for evaluation Renewable biopolymers, namely extracted from woody materials but also from dedicated microorganisms production are anticipated to replace a considerable fraction of the market of synthetic polymers and chemicals from fossil resources, due to their sustainable production from renewable resources and their biodegradability. Cellulose, xyaln and lignin from woody materials and Exo-polysaccharides (EPS) from microorganisms are examples of such biopolymers. Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), cellulose and xylan derivatives have potential to replace some synthetic textile fibers and films. EPS being nontoxic and biodegradable, with a wide variety of physicochemical and biological properties, find great potential as sustainable materials for food-packaging, interior-design, fashion-design, medical applications, etc. To fulfil this ambition, several critical technical barriers need to be overcome, using cost-effective approaches. Being aware of the biorefinery integrated approach required for economical viability of a given raw materials chain, we will focus only on some stages of the global chain. To produce cellulose filaments and yarns, we will explore the non-dissolving approach (NFC suspension) and will cooperate with Coimbra University in the cellulose dissolving alternative approach, using eutectic solvents. The critical barriers are high energy consumption in both fibril liberation from the vegetal cell wall and the water removal from the NFC and tailoring the hydrophobic character of the products, namely films and fibers. Our proposal is the utilization of co-solvents for the two first key barriers and colds plasma for the last one, further exploring our previous success in making hydrophobic paper by cold plasma treatment with natural compounds. Natural products extracted from plants and their corresponding derivatives will be used. Hot calendering will be the key operation to tailor the transparency and barrier properties of the films, namely to oxygen and water vapor. The partnership with CELTEJO (Altri) and the Navigator Company will continue to contribute to solve specific issue in the pulp and paper areas. The potential of paper simultaneously as support and active component in electronic paper is being explored with Universidade Nova in the scope of a Ph.D. program in Advanced Materials and Processing. The cellulose-based filaments, as well as other natural and synthetic fibers, such as microbial polymers and biodegradable plastics like PLC and PLA, can be used to design non-woven, woven and knits with new advanced structures and functionalities. Safe-by-design coatings are the key issue towards control of bacterial resistance and toxicity. In this regard we intend to work on nanopillary coatings and bacteriophage immobilization, offering new prospects over the excess of antimicrobials. In the era of bioeconomy and sustainable materials, we also intend to create “Living Factories” using lignocellulosic endogenous species abundant and costless, as carbon sources in fermentation processes of both bacteria producing pigments and polymers. Antennas are being incorporated in textiles to create new products and processes connected to Wearable Technology. Aesthetic and functional design of textile fabrics and garments will be also developed under the TexBoost Project, PPS 2, New materials and advanced use of natural fibers with FITECOM, S.A. and COLTEC, Ltd. partners and CITEVE, to diversify FITECOM wool fabrics, technically more advanced to conquer most demanding markets where differentiation is on innovation by incorporating technology and fashion, to develop wool fabrics for a contemporary lifestyle clothing as low-impact outdoor activities and exploring functionalities for fashion leisure wear clothing. Deepen the results of U.MAKE.ID project, studying effects and repercussions in fashion business, considering digital platform networking, mainly in sourcing and supply chain management, improving fashion brands links, fashion designers and suppliers and circular fashion economy. Another subject is to interpret and respond to a contemporary fashion trend, the genderless fashion, focusing on woman and man anthropometry. Under TexBoost Project will be increased the collaborative link with CIAUD, Centre for Research of Architecture Faculty of Lisbon University and with UNIDCOM/IADE Research Unit. In TexBoost and U.MAKE.ID Projects six PhD degrees will be completed. One in textile engineering related to the design engineering of wool fabrics and five PhD degrees in Fashion Design on sustainability, social innovation and collaborative economy in fashion design. Despite the benign nature of the green processes under development and the recyclability of post-consumer products, there will always be the necessity to develop more efficient processes to treat and reuse wastewaters. For strongly recalcitrant effluents, the integration of different technologies will be studied. First, processes that can deal with high organic load, such as membranes and advanced oxidation processes (ozonolysis, electro-oxidation, electrocoagulation, electro-Fenton) and chemical precipitation will be applied; then, constructed wetlands, either working in horizontal subsurface flow or in vertical flow, as well as micro-algal cultivation will be utilized for the final depuration of the effluents. New catalytic materials, such as perovskites, will be prepared and evaluated for their ability to perform photoelectrocatalytic degradation also as a step for the final depuration of the effluents. The solutions treated by the different processes will be evaluated for their toxicity. The resulting treated effluents will be utilized for the upgrade of the study of hydroponic dual system as a tuning for domestic wastewater and crop production, by constructing new equipment of dual function hydroponic system at pilot, demonstration and real scales for future commercialization.

Institutions

Main Institutions

  • Materiais Fibrosos e Tecnologias Ambientais (FibEnTech/UBI)
  • Universidade da Beira Interior (UBI)

Funding 472.575,00 €

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Portugal

472.575,00 €