Cellulose Matrix
What is Cellulose
Cellulose is the most abundant organic compound on earth [1]. It is the fiber found in leaves, stems, and stalks of plants and trees, but is completely indigestible to humans. Bacteria can produce chemically identical cellulose as well, but with slightly different properties. Microbial cellulose is a fraction of the thickness of plant-based cellulose, is stronger, has much more moldability due to its ability to grow in any direction, and unfortunately for fabrics, has drastically increased hydrophilicity [2]. Yet as with plants, bacteria in nature produce cellulose as a protective shield around cells.
Cellulose is the most abundant organic compound on earth [1]. It is the fiber found in leaves, stems, and stalks of plants and trees, but is completely indigestible to humans. Bacteria can produce chemically identical cellulose as well, but with slightly different properties. Microbial cellulose is a fraction of the thickness of plant-based cellulose, is stronger, has much more moldability due to its ability to grow in any direction, and unfortunately for fabrics, has drastically increased hydrophilicity [2]. Yet as with plants, bacteria in nature produce cellulose as a protective shield around cells.
History
Though considered a recent development in the fashion world, scientists have known about plant cellulose since 1838, and bacterial cellulose since 1886 [3]. Yet only in the past two to three years has there been any talk of clothes made from microbial cellulose on a commercial scale. This push for a more environmentally friendly microbial cellulose is in large part due to BioCouture's push for novel fabrics, and they have certainly made headlines with this idea [4]. Many have begun patenting processes to speed production of cellulose, and it appears microbial cellulose may be a fabric to be reckoned with in the future.
Manufacturing
Microbial cellulose is not a commercially produced fabric yet. As such, there are no released details about how it is grown, harvested, and turned into cloth. However, the basic steps are as follows:
1) A variety of bacteria, fungi, or algae can be used, but the best cellulose producers are in the bacteria kingdom: A. xylinum, A. hansenii, and A. pasteurianus. Of these, A. xylinum has become the model microorganism for basic and applied studies on cellulose due to its ability to produce relatively high levels of cellulose polymer from diverse carbon and nitrogen sources [5].
2) Once the species of organism has been selected, they are added to a sugary green tea, yeast, and microorganism solution. The sugar is the species' food, while the yeast ferments the solution and causes the specie to spin cellulose threads.
3) Over the next few days, the threads stick together and form a cellulose mat.
4) When the mat is approximately 1.5 cm thick, it is removed from the growth bath and molded into the desired shape.
Environmental Impact
Microbial cellulose has great potential to be the greenest fabric on the market. It has the benefit of being 100% compostable, so it won't fill up our land-fills, but it also does not require the land space or water that other compostable materials like cotton, bamboo, hemp, or other fibers do. Unlike other fibers, microbes are very sustainable, low energy, and easy to maintain. Yet there is a downside that may prove to be its undoing.
Unfortunately for fabric developers, microbial cellulose's high affinity for water means it essentially disintegrates in wet conditions. Even in dry conditions, the fabric must be worn with great care. To make the fabric commercially available, developers are looking into many different hydrophobic spray options to efficiently make the fabric water resistant and durable. Depending on how much spray is needed, and what kind of spray is used, this may ultimately cause almost as much harm to the environment as other fibers currently on the market. Yet this seems unlikely, due to the fact that in all other aspects microbial cellulose is by far the most sustainable and eco-friendly fabric ever developed.
What You Can Do
Don't just forget about microbial cellulose because it's not in stores now. Keep an eye out for new TED talks and news articles on its development. And in the meantime, educate yourself on the ecological benefits of microbial harvesting, as well as the detrimental effects of chemicals used to treat these microbial harvests. But even more importantly: try not to buy new clothes unless you need them. Invest in your clothes! All products come with production costs and take a toll on our environment, no matter how eco-friendly they seem.
Though considered a recent development in the fashion world, scientists have known about plant cellulose since 1838, and bacterial cellulose since 1886 [3]. Yet only in the past two to three years has there been any talk of clothes made from microbial cellulose on a commercial scale. This push for a more environmentally friendly microbial cellulose is in large part due to BioCouture's push for novel fabrics, and they have certainly made headlines with this idea [4]. Many have begun patenting processes to speed production of cellulose, and it appears microbial cellulose may be a fabric to be reckoned with in the future.
Manufacturing
Microbial cellulose is not a commercially produced fabric yet. As such, there are no released details about how it is grown, harvested, and turned into cloth. However, the basic steps are as follows:
1) A variety of bacteria, fungi, or algae can be used, but the best cellulose producers are in the bacteria kingdom: A. xylinum, A. hansenii, and A. pasteurianus. Of these, A. xylinum has become the model microorganism for basic and applied studies on cellulose due to its ability to produce relatively high levels of cellulose polymer from diverse carbon and nitrogen sources [5].
2) Once the species of organism has been selected, they are added to a sugary green tea, yeast, and microorganism solution. The sugar is the species' food, while the yeast ferments the solution and causes the specie to spin cellulose threads.
3) Over the next few days, the threads stick together and form a cellulose mat.
4) When the mat is approximately 1.5 cm thick, it is removed from the growth bath and molded into the desired shape.
Environmental Impact
Microbial cellulose has great potential to be the greenest fabric on the market. It has the benefit of being 100% compostable, so it won't fill up our land-fills, but it also does not require the land space or water that other compostable materials like cotton, bamboo, hemp, or other fibers do. Unlike other fibers, microbes are very sustainable, low energy, and easy to maintain. Yet there is a downside that may prove to be its undoing.
Unfortunately for fabric developers, microbial cellulose's high affinity for water means it essentially disintegrates in wet conditions. Even in dry conditions, the fabric must be worn with great care. To make the fabric commercially available, developers are looking into many different hydrophobic spray options to efficiently make the fabric water resistant and durable. Depending on how much spray is needed, and what kind of spray is used, this may ultimately cause almost as much harm to the environment as other fibers currently on the market. Yet this seems unlikely, due to the fact that in all other aspects microbial cellulose is by far the most sustainable and eco-friendly fabric ever developed.
What You Can Do
Don't just forget about microbial cellulose because it's not in stores now. Keep an eye out for new TED talks and news articles on its development. And in the meantime, educate yourself on the ecological benefits of microbial harvesting, as well as the detrimental effects of chemicals used to treat these microbial harvests. But even more importantly: try not to buy new clothes unless you need them. Invest in your clothes! All products come with production costs and take a toll on our environment, no matter how eco-friendly they seem.