Progetti di ricerca

The system of textile production is characterized by a highly linear value chain which involves raw material extraction, yarns and fabrics production, final products manufacture, consumption and after‐use disposal. It has been estimated that about half of the total impact… Leggi tutto of textiles on climate change occurs in the production phase when the raw materials are manufactured to obtain yarn. Silk yarns derive from silk fibers which are composed by two major proteins: fibroin and sericin. Lustrous silk fibers are made from fibroin and to manufacture these fibers from dried cocoons, fibroin has to be separated from sericin by a degumming process when sericin is mostly discarded in the wastewater. That is at present sericin is an unutilized by-product of the silk textile industry and the discarded degumming wastewater also ultimately leads to environmental contamination. In a world where the raw material supplement is a major concern, attempting to use as much as possible natural resources is a keystone requirement. If sericin would be recovered it could be used as a value-added product for many sericin-derived applications and purposes and this would be beneficial in terms of economy, sustainability and environment. Indeed, new discoveries on the structure, properties, biocompatibility, and processability have revealed new possibilities of applying sericin as a major product in a wide variety of sectors. A circular chain model devoted to reuse sericin is nowadays missing and it would be a disruptive means to reshape the silk textile industry. RITESSERE strives to demonstrate how, by rethinking the typical linear value chain model, is possible to reuse a specific by-product obtained in the production of silk yarns, the sericin, generating new materials and new products characterized by high added value with a gigantic payback. RITESSERE is characterized by a multidisciplinary approach and research team that integrates different disciplines such as agronomy, engineering, and chemistry. Agronomic competences are fundamental because RITESSERE’s starting point will be based on a certified and traceable sericin of Italian origin as raw material; engineering skills are envisioned to propose an effective processing chain by optimizing all the parameters involved in the design of new products based on sericin; chemical expertise is required to have a complete characterization from a physico-chemical standpoint both of the starting sericin and the final products. RITESSERE is structured in three operational phases: the first one has the aim to obtain the sericin starting from certified silk cocoons by optimizing the extraction process; the second one has the aim to produce new materials from sericin in three different Demonstration Activities i) facial sheet mask composed by sericin, ii) 3D scaffold based on sericin for new cell culture substates, and iii) sustainable packaging films based on sericin; the last phase has the aim to characterize from a physico-chemical standpoint both the sericin and the final products envisioned in the three Demonstration Activities. This multidisciplinary team is complemented by economic sensibilities through a collaboration with members directly involved in economic aspects of circular economy supply chains. The economic analysis is intended to be the picklock to open possible new markets for this material that is nowadays considered an impediment whereas it would have up valuable economical return for many industries including cosmetics, pharmaceutical and biomedical. To boost this circular strategy a strong connection with the main stakeholders involved in the silk context will be pursued by a Communication and Dissemination activity and a continuous interaction with an independent Advisory Board whose members are actively involved in different phases of the silk industry or in the implementation of circular economy strategies or in communicating with society at large.