独家优惠奖金 100% 高达 1 BTC + 180 免费旋转

Bacterial Dye Breakthrough Revolutionizing the Textile Fashion Industry

The application of bacterial dyes in textile has revolutionized the fashion industry. These natural pigments offer hope to humanity for reversing the damage that conventional toxic dyes have done to Earth. In the past years, Biotechnology has again delivered us a golden solution to bring life to the dead waters suffering from pollution and change the world for good. In this article, we have explored what the conventional textile dyeing process is, how it made the water bodies suffer, why bacterial dye is a breakthrough, which Biotech textile labs are changing the fashion game, and the shining future of Bacterial textile dyeing.

AN INTRODUCTION TO DYE

Dyes are substances that provide color to a substrate by altering its crystal structure. These substances form covalent bonds or complexes with salts and metals and adhere to compatible surfaces by mechanical retention or physical adsorption.

Such substances are broadly employed in multifold industries from textile and food to cosmetics, pharma, and paper, photographic and plastic industries.

THE CONVENTIONAL TEXTILE DYEING PROCESS

Every textile consumer looks for a few fundamental fabric characteristics like proper fixation concerning light, perspiration, and washing, both initially and after prolonged use of fabric. To ensure consumer satisfaction, textile industries employ dyes that show great affinity, unwavering color, and resistance to fading and are economically feasible.

Modern dyeing technology incorporates multiple steps for garment dyeing concerning dye properties and the nature of the fabric.

Three typical dyeing method includes

1) Batch Process

2) Continuous Process

3) Semi-continuous process

Choice of the process depends on the fiber characteristics, material kind, construction, generic type, etc. Likewise, the amount and quality of dyes are selected similarly. Every conventional dyeing process involves three steps; preparation, dyeing, and finishing.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF CONVENTIONAL DYEING METHOD & A NEED OF ECO-FRIENDLY TEXTILE DYES

The conventional textile dyeing process has shattered the quality of life on this planet and has hugely compromised the safety of Earth. We have briefly discussed below each disastrous impact on life on Earth by the conventional dyeing process

Industrial wastewater generated is harmful to aquatic life, wildlife, and humans alike

The composition of textile wastewater depends upon the number of different chemicals, additives, and organic compounds used in dry and wet processing steps. Colored, chlorinated chemicals, surfactants, salts, recalcitrant organic compounds comprise a considerable portion of the discharged effluent.

Owing to the inefficiency of the dyeing process, up to 200,000 tons of textile dyes are lost to effluents each year.

Persistency of textile dyes in the environment

Antimicrobial agents used in textile manufacturing are resistant to biological degradation

Textile wastewater causes extreme fluctuations in water parameters

Textile industry effluent is discharged into water bodies like every other effluent. This wastewater creates massive fluctuations in water parameters such as Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), pH, salinity, and color. This, in return, deteriorates the quality of aquatic life.

Textile dyes affect the aesthetic quality of water bodies

The mutagenic and carcinogenic nature of synthetic dyes doesn’t make water suitable for drinking and irrigation purposes

Some textile dyes are highly toxic and mutagenic, which not only reduce the light penetration for aquatic life living on photosynthesis but also decrease water quality to an extent that makes it unsuitable for drinking as well as irrigation purposes.

Developing countries are the most vulnerable to health and environmental impacts

As most developed countries’ garments are manufactured at factories in developing countries, communities like India and Bangladesh are most vulnerable to water pollution problems because of textile dyeing alone.

A need for eco-friendly production of textile dyes

Considering the importance of dyes in our day-to-day life, scientists are working on the production of eco-friendly organic dyes which don’t portray harmful effects on life.

Yet again, these technologies, though better than the conventional dyeing process, are not as cheap and economically effective as the biotechnology breakthrough of bacterial dye discussed in the coming sections.

OUR FOREFATHERS EMPLOYED EVERY NATURAL DYE, BUT THE BACTERIAL DYE

We can find all kinds of dyes from all kinds of living organisms in our ancestor’s history. There has been no evidence for the most biologically diverse domain bacteria to extract dyes.

For us, it’s not surprising, since only a century ago, Louis Pasteur begin culturing bacterial species in his laboratory. And since then, this domain has been under our field of observation.

DYEING TEXTILE WITH PIGMENT-PRODUCING BACTERIA

To combat the health and environmental impact of synthetic dyes, Biotechnology has provided designers, microbiologists, and scientists with a chance to find a solution. And luckily, they have found one: mass-production of bacterial pigments using natural processes (genetic engineering is not required).

Bacteria are selectively chosen and grown in laboratory fermentation tanks where they reproduce under optimal conditions and produce these pigments.

An honest question — Why do bacteria produce pigments?

There could be the following reasons bacteria produce pigments:

A requisite organic approach of garment dyeing

Little pieces of fabric were soaked on a dilute liquid culture of Streptomyces coelicolor that were then placed on an agar growth medium and incubated under optimal conditions. After a few days, bacterial colonies were visible throughout the plate over the fabric and between them. Millions of bacterial cells produced pigment soon visible to the naked eye. Eventually, frizzy aerial mycelia spread across the plate, and the shades of red, magenta, pink and blue were mesmerizing eyes captured in the photograph below.

But how did the Biology behind the beautiful patterns work? Using advanced mass spectrometry and chemically mapping of fabrics, we can find what pigments are present in a particular place and when.

A noteworthy point is that colonies grew at different rates on the plate, but no colonies grew at some locations. That was because the crinkle of the fabric piece had no access to nutrients on the agar plate as the fabric was a little above the media, so no colony grew there.

Streptomyces coelicolor produces pink to red prodiginine molecules as prodigiosin and water-soluble molecules like actinorhodin. Actinorhodin is typically blue in cultures, yet its color depends on the pH of the media. The deep magenta color on the fabric was the combination of blue actinorhodin that diffused out extracellularly and red prodiginines that stayed on the colonies.

No two pieces of fabric will dye the same as the pH is changed continuously due to bacteria metabolizing nutrients, and so does pigment concentration, color, and diffusing properties. Scientists are working for a complete understanding of this beautifully mysterious process.

10 ways bacterial dyes are saving the environment

Bacterial dyes breakthrough is revolutionizing the fashion industry through several ways discussed below:

1) Bacterial dyes are sustainable

Bacterial dyes are highly sustainable. Growing bacteria as a dye factory is a more sustainable way to color the world.

2) Bacterial dyes are economical

It is a revolutionary resource-saving discovery that doesn’t require any other chemicals. Low temperatures work just fine for the process. Minimal energy conditions are required for bacteria to grow; hence this process is cost-effective.

3) No use of harmful chemicals means no pollution

Bacterial textile dyeing employs use no harmful synthetic chemicals that means there won’t be any water pollution in the end.

4) Requirement of a smaller space for bacterial growth than textile dyes that are manufactured in big plants

Bacteria grow and nurture in small fermentation tanks or Petri plates and do not require a large area of land as synthetic dyes do.

5) No use of pesticides means no environmental toxicity

Bacteria textile dying employs no pesticides whatsoever.

6) Water consumption is low, thus water is saved

7) Bacterial pigment stability is many times higher than synthetic dyes

8) Anti-bacterial characteristics are added naturally

9) Waste is reduced many times

10) Bacterial pigments are biodegradable

If a bit of dye goes into waterways, these pigments can be degraded by other microbial life present in water bodies owing to their organic nature. Hence, it’s friendly to humans, animals, and aquatic life alike.

5 PRESENT-DAY BIOTECH TEXTILE LABS TRANSFORMING THE FASHION INDUSTRY

Natsai Audrey Chieza, a designer and researcher, presented a TED talk on pollution and fashion in 2017. She aims to bring a positive change to the fashion industry. She is the founder of Faber Features, a UK Biotech Textile Lab.

Karin Fleck, CEO of Vienna Textile Lab, aims to mass-manufacture organic colors obtained from bacteria. She hopes to provide the world with a more sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to typical synthetic dyes.

Also, vegetable growth is seasonal and prone to weather conditions and geography, hence two other possible limitations.

In contrast and advantage, bacterial strains are stored in laboratories, reproduced in small space fermentation tanks anytime, anywhere.

Jérémie, at PILI Bio, aims to fabricate dyes at the most ecofriendly labs from sugar using fermentation processes without any synthetic solvents and high temperatures. After production, the pigments are filtered and then purified for final use.

They provide bacteria with optimal conditions to grow and multiply in fermenting machines, and molasses and nitrogen is provided (byproducts from the agricultural industry). Bacteria replicate every 25 minutes. The dyed bacteria are applied directly to the fabric and heated until they burst, coloring. The color stays, and cell membranes wash off.

THE FUTURE OF BACTERIAL DYES

The fashion industry needs to be cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable, not only for the workers but also for the end-users. Bacterial dyes breakthrough is the green engine of the fashion revolution.

Someday everything from our blue jeans to red shirts may be dyed with these natural pigments. It will take time. After all, since its development in the 1930s, it took nylon decades to be ubiquitous as it’s today.

Future of the fashion is already here, and Biotechnology is the future.

Want articles like this?

Add a comment

What is your view?

Send

Related posts:

A Message to the Broken

Generating light within darkness. “A Message to the Broken” is published by Makayla Morales in New Writers Welcome.

Touch Your Balanced Life Right Now!

Education is the most important thing in life. It doesn’t mean that we just sit in the class and hear what your teacher says, but education is more than that. It is beyond the age, if you are more…

PRESSONE

MY BLOCKCHAIN BLOG https://press.one/main/p/bafe67db33a593ae57b98dcf43c913539162b516. “PRESSONE” is published by 南国利剑.