Most common textile dyes are produced on a petrochemical basis; Many of them, such as azo dyes, are poisonous. Therefore, both manufacture, coloring methods and the use of petrochemical colors are a health risk for people and an environmental risk. In addition, synthetic dyes and pigments are often disposed of with industrial wasters in the environment, which massively damage ecosystems.
The Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin) wants to change this and is currently researching the production of melanin dyes based on mushroom as a biological replacement for chemical-synthesized gray-brown black textile colors. The ‘Fun’ in the Funcolor Research project therefore does not come from the English word for fun, but from the botanical name ‘Fungi’, which goes back to Latin ‘Funus’ (mushroom).
Funcolor uses black mold to produce biological color pigments
“We therefore want to explore mushrooms as a natural source for different colors and produce colors through mushroom fermentation from renewable vegetable raw materials. These organic origin and biotechnological production should help pave the way for ecologically sustainable color and pigment production of the future,” says a press release on the research project.
Funcolor is intended to develop a biotechnological process for the production of biological color pigments, by using the established, mushroom -based “cell factory” Aspergillus nigeralso called black mold. The black pigment pyomelanin is to be produced with this fungus.
“We will Aspergillus niger modify genetically technically to increase pyomelanin production and develop standard methods for fermentation, extraction and wording protocols. Another goal is to establish a stable, powerful and cost-effective textile coloring process, which also offers color fastness, dye and washable. In a further step, we will develop, manufacture and characterize textile demonstrators using various yarn resources, ”explain the researchers.
The first analyzes have shown that wool and polyamide can be colored in a beautiful, deep brown or the cellulose fiber lyocell in a light gray.
UV protection and antimicrobial effect
The scientists are correct: Inside, “very optimistic” and they indicate another advantage: UV protection. They assume that the mushroom produces a molecule that effectively protects it from UV radiation. The first results show that this molecule as a UV protection mechanism also works in textile dyes. There is also the possibility that the molecule could have an antimicrobial effect on clothing and other textiles that further research is to be confirmed.
In the course of the year, the first demonstrators are to be presented as visual objects after it has been possible to win numerous mushroom tribes that produce significantly more pigments than the starting trunk. The melanin quantities should also be increased.
“We want to produce several hundred grams, which is currently a challenge on the laboratory scale. We are pursuing several approaches to achieve this. A really exciting thing,” commented project manager Timothy Charles Cairns from the TU Berlin in the message.
Funcolor is headed by the TU Berlin as part of the innovation room funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. This is jointly headed by ADIDAS AG and Institute for Textile Technology (ITA) of the Rheinisch-Westfälisches Technical University (RWTH).
BioTexfuture is a multi-year, extensive funding concept with the aim of supporting the transformation process of the textile industry and the entire textile value creation chain from petroleum to biobasized and accompanying this overall process with social science research.