Australian biotech company Nanollose has reached a key milestone in its journey to producing a tree-free lyocell.
The patent for the project was filed last year in partnership with global rayon manufacturer, Birla Cellulose, and has now resulted in the first pilot spin of the Nullarbor-20 eco-friendly lyocell fibre.
A form of rayon, lyocell consists of cellulose fibre, which has been traditionally made using the cellulose found in wood – especially eucalyptus – and other woody plants including bamboo.
Seeking a greener alternative to using trees and bamboo, Nanollose's cellulose is made using liquid waste from large-scale industries like food and agriculture, which then goes through an eco-friendly fermentation process – creating a 'tree-free' cellulose.
The first pilot spin of the eco-friendly fabric demonstrates proof of concept and that it is commercially scalable.
Also encouraging is the use of Birla's existing industrial lyocell manufacturing equipment to create the new fibre.
Nanollose chairman Dr Wayne Best said the project is already generating significant interest from the fashion industry.
"This milestone provides Nanollose with a strong growth foundation for the next 12 months.
"In the lead up to completion, we have been approached by a number of notable potential partners, and are pleased to now be in a position to enter into formal negotiations for the supply of sample fibre, yarns, and/or fabric for testing purposes and due diligence for future offtake agreements.
"We are fortunate to partner with Birla Cellulose for this process, as their commitment to sustainability and involvement in the process has significantly fast-tracked the progress of our innovative technology," he said.
As part of the staged scale up to 100% tree-free fibres, Nanollose's initial pilot spin targeted a blend of 20% microbial cellulose and 80% conventional wood pulp to produce 250kg of Nullarbor-20.
The business will work to increase the scale and/or percentage of microbial cellulose in subsequent pilot spins which will allow it to produce different Nullarbor fibres that contain varied percentages of tree-free microbial cellulose, mixed with other cellulosic materials.
This will help it increase its addressable market, offering fashion businesses the fibres at different price points depending on the percentage mix.