And unlike petroleum-based fibers, these agro-fibers are biodegradable. The development could be a boon to the nation's rice and chicken farmers, Yang says.
Rice fabrics are the most developed of the two fabric concepts to date. Rice straw consists of the stems of the rice plant that are left over after rice grains are harvested. Like cotton and linen, rice straw is composed mostly of cellulose.
Using a special combination of chemicals and enzymes, a process that is now under patent review, Yang and Reddy developed fibers from the straw.
The properties of the fibers indicate that the fibers are capable of being spun into fabrics using common textile machinery. The resulting fabric will have an appearance similar to cotton or linen, Yang says.
Chicken feathers are composed mostly of keratin, the same type of protein that is found in wool. The researchers are particularly interested in the barbs and barbules, the thin, filamentous network that forms the fluffy parts of the feather.
These structures have a sturdy honeycomb architecture containing tiny air pockets that make the filaments extremely lightweight and resilient.
Those properties offer the potential for developing fabrics that have lighter weight, better shock absorption and superior insulation — properties that may represent an improvement over wool, Yang says.
This is not the first time Yang's research team has attracted attention. Two years ago, Yang and Reddy developed a method to turn corn husks into fabrics with properties similar to linen or cotton.
marketing@alchempro.com
