The challenge: The textile industry relies on fatty acid ester lubricants such as spin finishes and sizes to manufacture synthetic fibres. Removing these residues conventionally depends on solvent-based processes, which carry significant environmental and health burdens.
What we did: Researchers Luís C. de Sousa and Carla C. C. R. de Carvalho (2BRG), within the EU-funded FuturEnzyme project, demonstrated a greener alternative. Using lipase enzymes produced by project partners and real polyamide-with-elastane textiles supplied by an industrial partner, the team developed both the biocatalytic hydrolysis step and the accompanying washing process.
The outcome that matters: Enzymatic treatment paired with optimized washing conditions removed spin finishes with performance comparable to existing solvent-based methods, proving that a biological process can match the industry standard while offering a cleaner profile.
Why it’s significant:
- Environmental impact: Replacing solvents with enzymes points toward lower-toxicity, more sustainable textile processing.
- Industrial relevance: Validation on commercial materials and conditions, not just lab samples, shortens the path to real-world adoption.
- Collaborative value: A working pipeline spanning enzyme producers, academic researchers, and industrial partners shows the FuturEnzyme model delivering applied results.
The bigger picture: This work moves enzyme-based textile cleaning from concept to credible competitor, supporting the textile sector’s transition toward more sustainable, bio-based manufacturing.
Link to paper: https://doi.org/10.3390/textiles6020056