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| Issue date:16/04/2009 |
| ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel - Apr 2009 Issue |
| Source:Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel |
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| As the concept of sustainable development is increasingly a talking point in the textile industry, Adrian Wilson reports on how nanotechnology could help the business sector to reduce operation cost, and the benefits that a cross-disciplinary search for materials could bring forth |
Studies conducted recently in China suggest that an average 140-room hotel could save over one million litres of water each year simply by employing nano-treated bed linen and towels.
Claude Bérubé, an architect at the Directorate for Public Development Projects in the United Arab Emirates, enthused about the potential of nanotechnology in providing the materials for tomorrow's products. He was a keynote speaker at the lecture series held during this year's Heimtextil exhibition in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
"Sustainability has developed into a vital element of the world economy, and in terms of what's possible with nanotechnology, we are now at the beginning of a new era," he said. "It is now becoming possible to define performance, rather than just specify materials, and the ability of nano-treatments to make materials self cleaning or self healing, to have coatings that break down dirt, reduce abrasion or filter air or water, opens up many new opportunities for textiles."
Mr Bérubé said that tests held at a hotel in Guangdong, China, employing the nanocoatings of Hong Kong-based Nano Group Holdings on sheets and towels, had shown immediate benefits.
"Over a period of 30 days, savings were 100,000 litres of water, 52% of the electricity previously used, 90% of detergent required and no softener at all. And that's just in one average-sized hotel. Imagine the potential impact on a global scale," he said.
Drawing nature's wisdom to save money
Similar figures were spoken of by Jochen Schmidt, head of functional effects at Clariant, in respect of Nanosphere, the treatment the chemicals manufacturer is jointly developing and marketing with fellow Swiss company, Schoeller Textile.
Nanosphere has recently been improved through the employment of the latest C6 fluorocarbon technology and is now both PFOS and PFOA free (below limit of detection). It is based on an inorganic process with no toxicity, no bioavailability, no metabolism and no hydrolysis.
Nanosphere was subjected to a complete screening by the Hohenstein Institutes in 2005 and both Clariant and Schoeller work within the framework of the Bluesign Standard.
As far as safety issues are concerned, Mr Schmidt said that the nanoparticles were completely fixed in a special chemical matrix, with absolutely no chance of migration.
Citing the example of Germany, Mr Schmidt pointed out that the ability to reduce just a single washing cycle in the country's 40 million households could result in immediate savings of two billion litres of water.
Waterdrops float on tiny barbs or papillae on the lotus leaf surface |
Products such as NanoSphere and the nanocoatings of Nano Group Holdings are based on the concept of the "lotus leaf effect".
They imitate the papillae on the lotus leaf that ensure only 2%-3% of its surface comes into contact with water droplets. Because this minimal contact is confined to the outermost tips of the papillae, the adhesive forces that would otherwise cause a droplet to spread are also minimal. Instead, the water's surface tension forces prevail and invariably cause the droplet to form a spherical globule – and the water just rolls off.
Particles of dirt on the surface, which because of the papillae also have hardly any contact with the leaf surface – are carried along by the droplets and washed away without any need for detergents or scrubbing.
The principle sounds simple, but its practical implementation on textiles has been a challenge for nanotechnologists, with the main objective being to optimise the processing and durability of the finishing.
In another example of developments drawing on nature (known as "biomimetics") for the home textiles market, Création Baumann, based in Langenthal, Switzerland, introduced an expanded range of its innovation award-winning Gecko adhesive textile wallcoverings at Heimtextil.
The foot of the gecko lizard allows it to climb up walls without effort employing no stickiness or any unusual muscular ability. Instead it relies on a tiny force at the nano-level, multiplied many times by the use of the vast number of tiny surface contacts made by the pads of its feet.
Création Baumann's attachable Gecko fabrics |
Many attempts are being made at the nanoscale to replicate this ability, in order to create the next generation of super adhesives.
Création Baumann's Gecko allows fabrics to be attached directly on to all non-porous surfaces – from glass to metal to plastics – allowing great design freedom and ease of use.
The specially-developed silicon-based coating means no adhesive is required in creating rooms, and in contrast to conventional films or foils, the textiles can be removed and used elsewhere several times without leaving any residues or losing any of their adhesive strength.
Consequently, Philippe Baumann, Création Baumann CEO, explained that Gecko can be used wherever glare protection or privacy are required but when architectural or design specifications prevent the use of curtains, roller blinds or panels.
Cross-disciplinary quest for innovative materials
A lot of research and development work on new technical textiles may not be necessary, according to Anne Farken, another lecture speaker at Heimtextil. Often, what companies are seeking to develop may already be available in other industries, the material researcher for Material ConneXion said.
Material ConneXion calls itself "a scout for innovative materials and technologies", involving a wide range of industries, from the automotive, aviation and aeronautics sectors through textiles, fashion and sport, and on to electronics and consumer goods. This includes research into materials, trend forecasts, support for product development, the provision of specialist workshops and product presentations.
Anne Farken |
"In its networking role, Material ConneXion scouts make all the contacts, bring appropriate partners together and promote intensive dialogue between materials manufacturers and users within an industry," said Ms Farken at the organization, which offers a subscribed materials library, covering more than 4,500 original material samples from a total of 1,700 producers. Established in New York, the organisation is present in Cologne (Germany), Milan (Italy), Bangkok (Thailand) and Daegu (Korea).
The development of the widely publicised GINA BMW concept car in 2008, which replaces steel with a stretch fabric body over a lightweight frame, is an example of the organisation's influence.
It was at Material ConneXion in New York that BMW's design chief, Chris Bangle, was introduced to a range of fabrics with the strength and resilience to stand in for steel – and potentially to drastically reduce a car's weight and fuel consumption, while greatly speeding up assembly-line production.
At the same time, Material ConneXion has also introduced sports clothing giant Nike to materials originally employed in automotive hoses, which it is now using in the production of uppers in sports shoes.
The market for home and contract textiles has developed into a complex network of value creation and processing, and continues to refine its structure.
On the supplier side, the market is becoming increasingly diversified, with the strong production regions of Turkey, China, India and Pakistan offering a complete range of ready-made household textiles – at every level of quality. Newly-emerging production markets include Vietnam and Thailand.
While Europe, Japan and North America continue to lose importance as production sites, they are shifting their focus to design, research and development of new materials, and finishing techniques. These regions are the strongest sales markets in the world for home textiles, and set the tone for international home textiles consumption.
Regenerative approach towards a greener industry
For many home and contract textile designers, the concern of sustainability has come to the fore. As a consequence, during 2008, Material ConneXion announced the addition of "Cradle to Cradle" assessed and certified materials to all of its material libraries around the world.
Cradle to Cradle Design, says Material ConneXion's Anne Farken, is a new approach to the re-design of industry based on the conviction that rigorous science and design can move human industry beyond simple concerns for "sustainability" – which is often no more than maintaining current levels of performance while limiting destruction – towards a new positive situation where growth is actually a good thing.
This concept, as envisaged by US-based McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), is based on the healthy, regenerative productivity of nature, with the intention of creating new industries that are continuously improving and sustaining life and growth.
MBDC has been engaging with both large and small companies to scientifically evaluate and design materials and products according to these principles. In response to industry demand, it is now offering companies the chance to have their materials and products not only evaluated, but also certified in accordance with the Cradle to Cradle Principles.
MBDC Cradle to Cradle certification provides companies with a method for measuring achievement in an environmentally intelligent design and helps customers purchase and specify products that are pursuing a broader definition of quality.
This means using environmentally safe and healthy materials, design for material reutilisation, such as recycling or composting, the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency, the efficient use of water, and maximum water quality associated with production and instituting strategies for social responsibility. Material ConneXion describes the addition of Cradle to Cradle materials to its libraries "a vital step forward in creating greater global access to these materials and their design".
Innovative ways to trim costs in the use and quest of specialty fabrics will probably be welcomed by various textile users and consumers in the unfavourable global economic scene.
Case study
Soy sauce floats on a nano-treated bed linens (Photo: Nano-Group Holdings) |
Nanotechnology offers three major benefits to textile and apparel users, namely savings on energy and freshwater usage, as well as pollution reduction, Charlie Chow, Technical Director of Nano-Group Holdings Ltd, told ATA Journal.
The company conducted a case study in cooperation with the 140-room Dongguan Hotel in Guangdong province of China between October and November 2008. The hotel’s bedding linens were previously washed with three cycles of 45 minutes each. With the nano-treatment, each fiber of the bedding linens can be protected with liquid-, oil-, and stain-resistant properties by simply using nano additives during the laundering process, thus making them easy to clean. As a result, a hotel operator can substantially reduce laundering costs by washing bedding linens with a 20-minute washing cycle instead of three in each laundering process.
A comparison of the laundering costs of 280 kg of bedding linen with Dongguan Hotel done by Nano-Group Holdings |
Durability of this nano-treatment can be up to 60 times, according to Mr Chow. The company now targets the dynamic hospitality segments in Dubai (Middle East) and Las Vegas (USA) where freshwater is particularly scarce. |
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Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Credit goes to Adsale Industry Portal when used.
We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprint any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiries, please contact the Editorial Department. |
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