Bacterial Cellulose—A Sustainable Alternative Material for Footwear and Leather Products

Rathinamoorthy, R.; Kiruba, T.

doi:10.1007/978-981-15-6296-9_5

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Within the scope of footwear, the ubiquity of leather stems from its outstanding properties, however, its association to animal slaughtering and high pollution questions its sustainability as a raw material. Leather alternatives, such as polyurethane or synthetic textiles, equally pose a level of risk, especially surrounding disposal and biodegradability (Rathinamoorthy and Kiruba, 2020), whereas the sustainable advantage of biomaterials and BC's excellent properties targeting leather applications (Phan et al, 2023) make BC ideal for the realm of footwear. Although different, the properties of BC (Girard, Chaussé, Vermette, 2024;Phan et al, 2023) are comparably unique to leather, particularly regarding its textural singularity and full-bodied drape.…”

Section: Materials Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fermenting knits: A material-driven exploration of knit-based bacterial cellulose biocomposite textile materials through fibre reassembly

De Lara

2024

Res. dir. Biotechnol. des.

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Environmental concerns surrounding textile production have increased the need and interest in developing material innovations and interdisciplinary approaches to offset this ecological impact. Bacterial cellulose is present in several industries, and its biologically produced form has shown potential use within fashion. Within the emerging field of biodesign, research surrounding bacterial cellulose textiles generally focuses on the initial sheeted growth, while alternative outputs and working methods remain scarce. Here, fibre reassembly is analysed by fully integrating broken down BC fibres with knitted structures. Material selection and working methods take a practice-led approach to experiment formulation in order to observe material behaviour as central to development. This project aims to create biocomposite textiles that enhance the properties of bacterial cellulose and expand its designable characteristics through low-tech working methods accessible from designerly backgrounds. The results are intended to inform further research in footwear design contexts, as basis to develop BC-based components. Experimentation shows BC fibres reassembled around the knitted structures, varying according to yarn choice and fermenting environment alteration. This demonstrates potential for material and methodology development while exploring co-design with living organisms. In the context of future applications, BC-based composite textiles can self-assemble at different growth stages, offering the possibility of material-driven approaches to spaces intersecting biology and design.

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Section: Materials Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fermenting knits: A material-driven exploration of knit-based bacterial cellulose biocomposite textile materials through fibre reassembly

De Lara

2024

Res. dir. Biotechnol. des.

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“…BC, which is mostly sourced from acetic acid bacteria, can also serve as a leather substitute after postprocessing . Although this technology is still in its early stage, London-based Modern Synthesis grows high-purity BC with tunable properties for footwear .…”

Section: Living Materials Promote Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…BC, which is mostly sourced from acetic acid bacteria, can also serve as a leather substitute after postprocessing. 488 Although this technology is still in its early stage, London-based Modern Synthesis 489 grows high-purity BC with tunable properties for footwear. 490 Using synthetic biology approaches, they introduced enzymes that produce pigments and generate colored cellulosic materials.…”

Section: Bioleather and Textilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engineered Living Materials For Sustainability

Wang

Huang

et al. 2022

Chem. Rev.

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Recent advances in synthetic biology and materials science have given rise to a new form of materials, namely engineered living materials (ELMs), which are composed of living matter or cell communities embedded in self-regenerating matrices of their own or artificial scaffolds. Like natural materials such as bone, wood, and skin, ELMs, which possess the functional capabilities of living organisms, can grow, self-organize, and self-repair when needed. They also spontaneously perform programmed biological functions upon sensing external cues. Currently, ELMs show promise for green energy production, bioremediation, disease treatment, and fabricating advanced smart materials. This review first introduces the dynamic features of natural living systems and their potential for developing novel materials. We then summarize the recent research progress on living materials and emerging design strategies from both synthetic biology and materials science perspectives. Finally, we discuss the positive impacts of living materials on promoting sustainability and key future research directions.

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“…The feel and colour of the glycerine-treated (flexible) bark is similar to leather, the animal skin, tanned with substances derived from tree bark. Leather is an attractive material for the design discipline, with designers and researchers currently looking for replacement materials without animal origin [ 75 ]. Being multi-layered, and based on fibrous elements, bark could be seen as the skin of the plant, hence a structure that works as a connection to and trading zone with the environment as well as an enclosure.…”

Section: Bark: Skin Of Trees and Potential Use As Textilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advanced materials design based on waste wood and bark

Wenig

Dunlop

Hehemeyer-Cürten

et al. 2021

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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Trees belong to the largest living organisms on Earth and plants in general are one of our main renewable resources. Wood as a material has been used since the beginning of humankind. Today, forestry still provides raw materials for a variety of applications, for example in the building industry, in paper manufacturing and for various wood products. However, many parts of the tree, such as reaction wood, branches and bark are often discarded as forestry residues and waste wood, used as additives in composite materials or burned for energy production. More advanced uses of bark include the extraction of chemical substances for glues, food additives or healthcare, as well as the transformation to advanced carbon materials. Here, we argue that a proper understanding of the internal fibrous structure and the resulting mechanical behaviour of these forest residues allows for the design of materials with greatly varying properties and applications. We show that simple and cheap treatments can give tree bark a leather-like appearance that can be used for the construction of shelters and even the fabrication of woven textiles. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Bio-derived and bioinspired sustainable advanced materials for emerging technologies (part 1)’.

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Bacterial Cellulose—A Sustainable Alternative Material for Footwear and Leather Products

Cited by 15 publications

References 57 publications

Fermenting knits: A material-driven exploration of knit-based bacterial cellulose biocomposite textile materials through fibre reassembly

Fermenting knits: A material-driven exploration of knit-based bacterial cellulose biocomposite textile materials through fibre reassembly

Engineered Living Materials For Sustainability

Advanced materials design based on waste wood and bark

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