New recycled, functional and intelligent materials for the textile sector
NITextile participated in the thematic seminar of the Portuguese Society of Materials (SPM), this year with the theme of new recycled, functional and intelligent materials for the textile sector, in co-partnership with CITEVE and CeNTI, which took place on December 5th.
The opening of the session was held with Braz Costa from CITEVE where he stated that the future, digitalization, textiles and many others pass through materials. Following with Professor Sandra Carvalho from SPM who stated the importance of materials in society in Portuguese society and the importance of sharing knowledge.
The event was divided into three parts, the first material technology session moderated by Sandra Carvalho (SPM/UC), the second industrial applications session moderated by Luís Pereira (SPM/FCT-UNL) and the third was a round table moderated by Braz Costa (CITEVE).
In the Materials Technology session, the topics of materials at ITV until 2030 were addressed by Carla Silva (CITEVE), the application of nanotechnology to ITV by Bruna Moura (CeNTI), high performance materials by Nelson Durães (CeNTI), intelligent materials by José Gonçalves (CeNTI) and sustainability in materials by Lúcia Rodrigues (CITEVE), where retained:
With regard to the textile sector, Portugal is clearly eclectic, where it contemplates the entire value chain (except, also, fiber production) in a very close geography, with challenges in the area of sustainability until 2030 mandatory by the European Union, where it is expected that in 2030 all products placed on the market must be durable, repairable, recyclable, produced with a large proportion of recycled fibers, free from dangerous substances and produced respecting the environment and social rights.
The strategic areas for the sector are: 1) new renewable materials, 2) new eco-efficient processes, 3) new production equipment; 4) new sustainable products; 5) new business models and 6) new metrics & legislation.
Nanotechnology applied to ITV focuses on providing functionalities, design, improving material adhesion, increasing lightness and touch, but its challenges include industrialization, regulation and exposure risks that are still unknown.
In high-performance materials, the challenges are the recycling of multi-materials or the production of mono-material composites, as well as the reduction of production costs and structural monitoring.
The challenges for smart materials are the levels of electronics integration, their performance and their recyclability at the end of life, as well as certification and regulation for hybrid products.
As for the sustainability of materials, the challenges are environmental and social issues related to the production of fibers, as well as the sustainability of the exploration of renewable sources, the validation of waste and its traceability. In 2022 around 1% of textile materials were recycled and it is expected that around 60% will be recycled by 2030
In the Industrial Applications session, industrialized knowledge solutions in the areas of materials were demonstrated by Pedro Magalhães (Tintex), Rui Pereira (Pafil), David Macário (ERT), Ana Tavares (Grupo Valérius) and Sandra Ventura (Cork-a-tex yarn), where the following were noted:
Dyeing solutions using natural materials from the region, cork coatings and textiles with responsive properties for applications ranging from fashion to personal protective equipment.
Comfortable, hypoallergenic and biodegradable cork yarn technology, which faces the challenges of lowering the carbon footprint and exploring new materials.
Body assistance device to aid movements, Exoskeletons to reduce physical efforts in long-term precision manual work in static postures, as occurs in the clothing industry, being an excellent example of process/product innovation.
Innovative automotive technologies, such as sustainable composites, Eva agglomerates and recycled leather. As well as E-surfaces, interactive, heated, illuminated surfaces and many others with embedded and flexible electronics. Where the focus of the future is clearly on more sustainable materials and processes.
Circular business model, from identifying and investing in innovative technologies, such as colorifix, recycrom or nature coatings, to 360 recycling of textile products both pre-consumer and post-consumer into new textiles and/or paper.
At the round table with Luís Pereira (SPM/FCT-UNL), Clara Pereira (FCUP), Raquel Vieira (Heiq Iberia) and Tony Dias (Simoldes) the focus was on knowledge collaboration, the application of green chemistry, scalable solutions and the most important thing is the affirmation that the voice of the consumer and the industry are essential for technology centers.
At the end there was a visit to the CeNTI and CITEVE facilities.