Create Bio-yarn

Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world. During material extraction and production stage, enormous amount of greenhouse gas and toxic waste are released out to the world. In order to solve the problem, we have to think of alternative ways to improve such unsustainable industry. I think biotech can solve the problem, and this is just a warm up to create product with some simple biomaterials.

Note: I'm not a seasoned biologist or chemist yet. So PLEASE correct me if I made mistakes.

Some basic chemicals:

- Sodium Alginate (Alginate is a chain of polysaccharide found in the cell wall of Algae.)

- Calcium Chloride (Cures the sodium alginate. Curing means crosslinking of polymer chains.)

- Chitosan (Derived from Chitin, give some rigidity to the end product.)

- Syringe (Create yarn-like form factor.)

Mix 15% Calcium Chloride solution.

Mix 15% Sodium Alginate.

Add Chitosan to Sodium Alginate paste.

Extrude Sodium Alginate paste into Calcium Chloride solution.

With different Sodium Alginate concentration, you can get an array of properties from soft and transparent to rigid and opaque.

Changing curing solution can also change the material property. For Sodium Alginate paste with chitosan, add Citric Acid(it crosslinks Chitosan) to the curing solution. Watch carefully to see what happens. I'm serious, because I don't know what changed. If you know the chemistry, please let me know.

Just knit that thing.

If you have an electrospinner. I believe you can spin this with lower viscosity. Something like 5% Sodium Alginate? Let me know the result.

Credit:

The original research of Bioesters team from Fashion Institute of Technology.

Thanks to:

Columbia for helping with material analysis.

Genspace for offering insights on biology.