Textination Newsline

Adhesives are almost always based on fossil raw materials such as petroleum. Researchers at Fraunhofer have recently developed a process that allows to utilize keratin for this purpose. This highly versatile protein compound can be found, for instance, in chicken feathers. Not only can it be used to manufacture a host of different adhesives for a variety of applications, but the processes and end products are also sustainable and follow the basic principles underlying a bioinspired circular economy. The project, developed together with Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, addresses a billion-dollar market.

Adhesives are found nearly everywhere: in sports shoes, smartphones, floor coverings, furniture, textiles or packaging. Even auto windshields are glued into place using adhesives. Experts recognize more than 1,000 different types of adhesives. These can bond almost every imaginable material to another. Adhesives weigh very little and so lend themselves to lightweight design. Surfaces bonded with adhesive do not warp because, unlike with screw fastenings, the load is distributed evenly. Adhesives do not rust, and seal out moisture. Surfaces bonded with adhesive are also less susceptible to vibration. Added to which, adhesives are inexpensive and relatively easy to work with.

Feathers from poultry meat production
Traditionally, adhesives have almost always been made from fossil raw materials such as petroleum. The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB has recently adopted a different approach. Researchers there have been using feathers as a base material instead of petroleum. Feathers are a by-product of poultry meat production. They are destroyed or mixed into animal feed. But feathers are far too valuable to go to waste because they contain the structural protein keratin. This biopolymer is found in animals and makes up talons, claws, hooves or feathers. Its fibrous structure is extremely strong.

Why keratin is perfect for manufacturing adhesives
Keratin is a biodegradable and thus eco-friendly material whose structure has specific properties that make it particularly suitable for the manufacture of adhesives. Keratin's polymer structure, i.e., its very long-chain molecules, as well as its ability to undergo cross-linking reactions predestine it for the manufacture of various adhesives. “The properties required for adhesives are to some extent already inherent in the base material and only need to be unlocked, modified and activated,” explains project manager Dr. Michael Richter.

Platform chemical and specialty adhesives
Over the past three years, Fraunhofer IGB has been working with Henkel AG & Co. KGaA on the KERAbond project: “Specialty chemicals from customized functional keratin proteins” — Kera being short for keratin, combined with the English word bond. Henkel is a global market leader in the adhesives sector.

The partners in the project have recently developed and refined a new process. In the first stage, feathers received from the slaughterhouse are sterilized, washed and mechanically shredded. Next, an enzyme process splits the long-chain biopolymers or protein chains into short-chain polymers by means of hydrolysis.

The output product is a platform chemical that can serve as a base material for further development of specially formulated adhesives. “We use the process      and the platform chemical as a “toolbox” to integrate bio-enhanced properties into the end product,” says Richter. This means parameters can be specified for the target special adhesive such as curing time, elasticity, thermal properties or strength. Also, it’s not just adhesives that are easy to manufacture but also related substances such as hardeners, coatings or primers.

In the next stage, the Fraunhofer team set about converting the feathers on a large scale. Ramping up the process fell to the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes CBP in Leuna. The aim was to prove that the keratin-based platform chemicals can also be manufactured cost-efficiently on an industrial scale. This involved processing several kilograms of chicken feathers, with the material produced being used for promising initial material trials at Fraunhofer IGB and Henkel.

Foundations of a bioinspired economy
This bioinspired process is of particular significance for the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Biotechnology is in fact one of the main fields of research for the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: “We draw our inspiration from functionality or properties that already exist in nature or in natural raw materials. And we attempt to translate these properties into products through innovative manufacturing methods. This generates a bioinspired cycle for valuable raw materials, Richter explains.

The project carries some economic weight. According to Statista, around one million tons of adhesives were manufactured in Germany alone in 2019. Total value is around 1.87 billion euros.

A patent application has been filed for the new process and an article published in a scientific journal. Two PhD students who have conducted extensive research on the project at Henkel and Fraunhofer are expected to complete their theses in the first quarter of 2024. This new keratin-based technology will allow a host of platform chemicals to be produced in a sustainable, bioinspired way.

The KERAbond project has been funded and supported over the past three years by Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe (FNR) in Gülzow on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) under the Renewable Resources Funding funding program (grant number 22014218).

• At COMPOSITES EUROPE from 10 to 12 September
   
• Incubator of ideas for multi-material lightweight construction
   
• „Ultralight in Space“: Market study examines lightweight construction trends in aerospace

Whenever there’s movement, mass and weight quickly become destroyers of energy. From 10 to 12 September, the Lightweight Technologies Forum (LTF) at COMPOSITES EUROPE in Stuttgart will show how lightweight construction contributes to more efficient and better cars, airplanes and machines. The focus at the Forum will be on the commercially viable implementation of cross-material and holistic lightweight construction systems. The way to get there is through the digitalisation of the process chain.

From the idea to the component – that’s the path the Lightweight Technologies Forum aims to illuminate and support. To that end, the forum will gather current lightweight construction projects in Stuttgart, including from automotive engineering, aerospace and mechanical engineering – precisely those industries whose stringent material, safety and reliability demands make them idea generators for many other industries.
The commonality that runs through all the projects: a consistently digital process chain contributes significantly to the implementation of innovations. Another focus area is connecting and joining technology in multi-material lightweight construction.

"The Lightweight Technologies Forum is conceived as a cross-industry and cross-material incubator of ideas, a place where all stakeholders can consider new concepts. For that, we’re bringing successful flagship projects to Stuttgart”, says Olaf Freier, who on behalf of organiser Reed Exhibitions is responsible for the programme of the forum.

The growing significance of digitalisation and bionics
Support in putting together the forum programme comes from Automotive Management Consulting (AMC). The consulting company specialises in lightweight construction strategies, processes and structures in the automotive industry. “Lightweight construction requires comprehensive, systematic thinking”, says Rainer Kurek, the managing director of AMC. “The most important key factor, though, is the digitalisation of the process chain. Only virtual and simulation-driven design work can bring about competitive lightweight construction products, because they’re launched faster and ensure process safety while costing far less in development”, Kurek adds.

„Ultralight in Space“: Market study on lightweight construction trends in the aerospace industry
When it comes to ultra-lightweight construction, space travel has played a pioneering role since its inception, having driven many disciplines to new record performances. In cooperation with the Luxembourg-based aerospace suppliers GRADEL, AMC are currently conducting a market study to examine the latest technological trends. The results will be revealed at the LTF in Stuttgart on 10 September.
"Even though aerospace is a niche business: technical solutions that meet the stringent material demands here lead the way into the future, which in turn impacts other industries. That’s why it’s important to know the customer’s needs as well as the lightweight strategies, processes, structures and material decision-making of this market”, Rainer Kurek says assuredly.

Also underlining how important space travel is for the development of new technologies is Claude Maack, managing director of GRADEL: “All components are exposed to extreme conditions. Right from the launch of the rocket, they have to withstand enormous acceleration forces. In space, material must resist radiation exposure – and for many years. Then there are the high temperature differences from minus 185 to plus 200 degrees Celsius – alternating every couple of hours from one extreme to the other.“

The material question: Composites with biggest growth potential
Metals currently hold the largest market share among lightweight materials – but fibre-reinforced composites are said to have the biggest growth potential. More and more often they get to apply their strengths in lightweight construction. In the exhibition area, the LTF demonstrates how glass-fibre reinforced (GFRP) and carbon-fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) play to their strengths in hybrid structural components.
On display, among other things, will be an ultra-lightweight seat by Automotive Management Consulting (AMC), Alba tooling & engineering and csi entwicklungstechnik GmbH, which was presented as a feasibility study – based on the lightweight construction innovation xFK in 3D – and virtual prototype at the 2018 LTF.

The innovative ultra-lightweight seat, which only weighs 10 kg, is based on a special winding process for fibre-composite components. The  “xFK in 3D process” uses a resin-impregnated continuous fibre from which components are wound and produced without waste to match the load. Conceivable uses for the concept seat include the so-called hypercars, sports cars and the air taxis of the future. Just a few weeks ago, the prototype was presented to the public and swiftly recognised with the German Innovation Award.

Exhibitors will be presenting additional lightweight construction solutions in the adjacent Lightweight Area. Some examples include structural components, semi-finished goods, technical textiles, adhesives and resins for automotive engineering and aerospace.

Altogether, visitors of the Lightweight Technologies Forum and COMPOSITES EUROPE will meet 300 exhibitors from 30 countries who will come to Stuttgart to showcase the entire process chain of fibre-reinforced plastics – from materials to machines for processing to concrete application examples from automotive engineering, aerospace, mechanical engineering, construction, wind power, and the sports and leisure sector. Besides new products, a special focus of the trade fair will be on advances in process technologies for large-scale series production.  
 

• Industrial park under construction

Baku (GTAI) - The Azerbaijani textile and silk industry is going to have a future again after a dramatic slump. Several initiatives are helping the traditional industry to make a fresh start.

Azerbaijan wants to revive its once strong textile, silk and clothing industry. In 1990, the sector still accounted for just under 18 percent of the total industrial production – in 2017 it was just 0.5 percent. Future investment activities will be determined by several initiatives. These include the implementation of programs for the production and processing of cotton and silk cocoons for semi-finished and finished goods, the establishment of an industrial park for light industry in Mingatchevir and the establishment of branches of the Azerkhalcha company for hand-woven carpets.

New projects in cotton processing on the horizon
At the beginning of the 1980s, cotton cultivation boomed in the country with an annual harvest of more than 1 million tons of raw cotton. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the transformation crisis in the 1990s and general neglect almost brought the industry to a standstill. In 2015, the harvest reached a historic low of 35,000 tons of raw cotton.

But the turnaround has begun. In 2017, 207,000 tons of raw cotton were harvested (forecast for 2018: 250,000 to 260,000 tons). A downer is the low average yield of 1.52 tons per hectare (2017). The government announced increased support for soil irrigation and technical equipment for manufacturers. By 2022 the harvest is expected to rise up to 500,000 tons per year.

The "State Program for the Development of Cotton Growing in the period 2017 to 2022" adopted on July 13th 2017 is a guideline for the further development. Projects are planned for the renewal of existing and the construction of new cotton ginning mills and processing of cotton fibers into yarns, fabrics and finished products. By mid-2018 there were eight spinning mills in the country with a total annual capacity of 44,600 tons of yarn. Above all among the yarn producers in Uzbekistan are the companies Mingatschewir Textil, MKT Istehsalat Kommersiya, ASK Textil Sumgait and Azeripek (better known as Ipek Scheki).

Silk industry to be expanded
Since 2016 the silk industry, which came almost to a standstill, has now been on the move again. On November 27th 2017 the "State Program for the Development of Silkworm Breeding and Processing of Mulberry Silkworm Cocoons for the period 2017 to 2025" was adopted. The program defines projects to revitalize the sector. The annual production of cocoons is expected to rise to 6,000 tons by 2025, ensuring an annual production of up to 600 tons of raw silk. In 2017 244 tons of cocoons were produced after 71 tons in 2016 (forecasts for 2018 and 2019: about 500 and 1,000 tons respectively).

The modernization of the silk combinate Azeripek in Scheki is at the top of the project list. The contact organization is the Azerbaijan State Industrial Association, to which Azeripek and other companies are reporting (http://www.ask.gov.az). The construction of a new silk spinning mill with an annual capacity of 3,000 tons of yarn is planned.

Established in 1931 and later expanded the Silk Combine in Scheki was the flagship of the silk industry in the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s with some 7,000 permanent employees. It produced up to 400 tons of raw silk per year and supplied over 100 factories with silk yarn and twist. Inefficient privatization, financial problems, lack of raw materials and sales difficulties repeatedly led to production stoppages. Today's capacities allow an annual production of up to 135 tons of raw silk only. As a result of technical problems, the factory is unable to produce finished fabrics.

Industrial park for light industry under construction
In the in 2016 established Industrial Park for Light Industry in Mingatchevir, nine factories for the production of textile and clothing products (cotton, acrylic and wool yarn, hosiery and apparel) and other light industry products (leather footwear and cosmetics) are to be built. The construction of more production facilities is planned. In February 2018 the company Textile Mingatchevir opened the first two factories in the industrial park. It intends to produce up to 20,000 tons of cotton and blended yarn annually. Capital expenditures were USD 46 million.

Azerkhalcha revives traditional carpet art
Azerkhalcha, the company for the production of hand-woven carpets, has an ambitious goal: 30 regional carpet weaving mills are to be established by 2020. By the end of 2017 ten branches have already been opened. A further 20 will be added in 2018 and 2019. Azerkhalcha was founded in 2016 on the initiative of the government. In 2018 and 2019, the state will invest around USD 22 million in the construction of new branches and a wool processing factory.

From 2020, approximately 5,000 employees will produce hand-woven carpets under the Azerbaijan Carpet label for domestic and foreign markets. The expansion plans for the production of hand-woven carpets result from the in 2018 adopted state program for the development of carpet art in Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic for the years 2018 till 2022.

Azerbaijan offers opportunities as a production location
Azerbaijan can score with some advantages as a production location for the textile and silk industry as well as for the clothing industry. These include a sufficiently available and quickly trained labor force, low wage costs, tax and other preferences in industrial areas and good conditions for the sale of the goods.

Good sales opportunities result from the free trade agreements with the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the export opportunities to Turkey. No import duties have to be paid for exports to these countries. Clothing manufacturers from EU countries with the intention of exporting to these countries can benefit from this. Several companies, especially from the Baltic States, are currently exploring their opportunities for a market entry.

The Azerbaijan Textile Industry Association sees a need for action on the part of the government with regard to the framework conditions for the domestic clothing manufacturers. For example, the tariff burden on imports of accessories such as adhesives, buttons and snap fasteners and zippers should significantly be reduced.

Leading manufacturers of apparel and other finished textile products include Baku Textile Factory (Baki Tekstil Fabriki), Accord Textil (Agstafa, part of the Accord Industrial Holding), Alyans Tekstil (Sumqayit), the apparel factory in the Gilan-Textile Park (Sumqayit), and Debet Uniform (Baku). The factories mainly produce workwear and outerwear.