The method involves replacing cotton and polycotton, a mixture of both cotton and polyester, in textiles by reusing residues from both textile and forestry waste.

“Cotton itself is a very good material and everyone wants to use it, but it has a heavy environmental impact because growing it requires a lot of water and a lot of land,” says Aji Mathew, Professor of Materials and Environmental Chemistry.

In the first instance forest waste, that includes tops, branches and infected shoots from trees, is used. Textile waste is then also utilized. The material used is what is available in Sweden to create a new high-quality material.

In the laboratory, the process starts by putting forestry residues into a chemical process to extract high-quality textile fibers. Once the plant fibers are obtained, the next step is to spin them into lyocell fiber. This process is done in collaboration with an industrial partner.

The second phase of the process focuses on improving these lyocell fibers. Here, nanosized cellulose is used, which are small particles extracted from cellulose in textile waste. This nanocellulose is applied as a coating around the lyocell fibers to increase their mechanical strength and functionality. This step is crucial to maximize the usability and durability of the resulting fibers.

The work is being conducted in collaboration with Region Stockholm and focuses on identifying alternatives to cotton and polycotton, materials currently used in healthcare in the region.

“We have evidence that it is possible, so what we need to do is a full life cycle assessment to investigate the extent, but the hope is that we can reduce the use by 50% of these cotton and polycotton materials,” says Aji Mathew.