Technically, they succeeded. Engineers from the European Center for Innovative Textiles (CETI), based in Tourcoing (North), have been working for two years on the creation of new textile fibers based on animal and plant biomass: milk unsuitable for consumption and oleaginous flax straw. , almost exclusively intended for animal feed. If the use of casein, that is to say the protein of milk, in the textile industry, was developed in the interwar period by an Italian chemist, the process was abandoned in the 1950s. He was too aggressive chemically. A production continues in Italy, very confidential and intended for lingerie.
The casein extraction process, developed at CETI, no longer has anything to do with it. “It’s green chemistry, and we get a fabric with a fluidity between that of silk and that of cashmere”, summarizes Pascal Denizart, its director. At the National Interprofessional Center for the Dairy Economy (CNIEL), we are convinced. “Several luxury brands are following this very closely. Milk fiber is also of interest to the hospital sector, given its antibacterial and hypoallergenic properties, in particular for making sheets for severe burns victims.specifies the director of marketing, Christophe Spotti.
On the clothing side, milk fiber will remain a niche market, but with high added value in terms of its quality, because the raw material is limited. Seven million liters of milk unfit for consumption per year in France are not enough for a mass market. “We will also have to solve the logistical question of the transport of milk unfit for consumption, from the breeding or the dairy to the manufacturing site”, adds the CNIEL spokesperson. The pilot plant should therefore be located in one of the top three dairy regions of France: Brittany, Normandy or Hauts-de-France.
“Additional income” for farmers
Alongside this research, CETI engineers have found a way to extract the cellulose contained in oleaginous flax straw, using a technique similar to that used by the paper mill. And there, given the amount of straw that can be recovered after the harvest, attacking the mass markets is possible. “In 2030, the global need for textile fibers will be 80% higher than ten years ago”recalls Pascal Denizart. “We can recycle everything we want, it will not be enough to deal with overconsumption and its environmental and social impact. »
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