Biotransformation of Synthetic Fibers

Abstract

Recent studies clearly indicate that the modification of synthetic polymers with enzymes is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional chemical methods requiring harsh conditions. Some work already performed on polyamide 6.6 (nylon 6.6), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) revealed that surface functionalization of these materials is a key requirement for an extensive range of applications, such as textiles, electronics, biomedical field and others. Research performed on PET with lipases, cutinases and other esterases has previously been reported, whilst enzymatic treatment of PAN with nitrilases and cutinase has also been the subject of study. However, at present, few studies have been done on nylon fabrics, mainly with esterases and proteases. This work is intended as a brief review of research in the area of biocatalytic functionalization of synthetic fibres, with a special focus on work recently performed by our research group with cutinase from Fusarium solani pisi.

Enzymatic biofinishes for synthetic textiles

“…The co-monomers in acrylic fi bres are selected for fi bre specifi c properties, such as dyeability with sodium methallyl sulphonate, sodium sulphophenyl methallyl ether, etc. (Silva et al ., 2009 ;Guebitz, 2011 ;Guebitz and Cavaco-Paulo, 2008 ;Matamá and Cavaco-Paulo, 2010 ). Acrylic fi bres comprising negative groups can be dyed with basic (cationic) dyes under carefully controlled conditions.…”

“…Classical methodologies to improve fi bre hydrophilicity, like alkaline or acid hydrolysis, lead to the deterioration of polyamide fi bre properties such as irreversible yellowing, resistance and weight loss (Silva et al ., 2009 ;Guebitz and Cavaco-Paulo, 2008 ;Guebitz, 2011 ). These methodologies also require high amounts of energy and chemicals (binders, coupling agents, etc.…”

Application of microalgal-ZnO-NPs for reusing polyester/cotton blended fabric wastes after modification by cellulases enzymes

“…Textile surface activation can be accomplished biologically using enzymes that add functional groups to the fiber surface. Lipases, proteases, cellulases, and chitinases are just a few of the hydrolytic enzymes that have the ability to activate the surfaces of natural fibers [18,19]. Cellulases are one of the most crucial enzymes utilized in the bio-polishing of cotton textiles to increase their smoothness, softness, and wettability out of the numerous enzymes suited for textile industry uses [20].…”