Grant: CCI Applied Research and Development Grants

Material Future lab is interested in collaborating with CTT Group to develop a new method of dyeingtextiles with a new bacterial dye pigment using sustainable methods. Wet processes in textiles, such asbleaching, dyeing and washing are known to be polluting due to the high amount of water, energy andchemicals used in the process. Natural dyes are of great interest as a solution to reduce the dependenceon fossil fuels and chemicals in the wet process. In the past, indigo dye was extracted from plants forexample. However, plant-based dyes production is limited due to massive land and water requirements.Bacteria-based dye produced in bioreactor by MF lab can be an efficient alternative to fossil fuel dye toimprove the sustainability of textile wet process. The dyeing method will use little or no water and theenergy consumption will be reduced compared to conventional dyeing. Working with various partners,the identified weakness of the dyed product will be optimized to rival the performance of conventionaldyed products in terms of fastness to crocking, washing and light.