Sustainable fashion is becoming more popular because people understand its environmental benefits. An exciting development is using bacteria to make textiles. This is an eco-friendly alternative to leather or plastics. However, coloring these materials without harmful dyes has been difficult.
A new study in Nature Biotechnology presents a solution. Scientists have genetically modified bacteria to make melanin pigment. This means the material can dye itself. This discovery could change textile production and coloring, making it greener and more sustainable.
How Bacteria-Generated Textiles Work
Bacterial cellulose is important for making these textiles. It is a main structural material in plants, and some bacteria can make it too. To form these textiles, bacteria are grown in containers. They can quickly be shaped as needed. The final product resembles leather but is better for the environment.
A big problem, though, is the natural beige color of bacterial cellulose. To color it, traditional dyeing methods are used. These methods can harm the environment. They use a lot of water and release chemicals.
Genetically Engineering Self-Dyeing Textiles
Researchers at Imperial College London (ICL) modified a bacterium known as Komagataeibacter rhaeticus. This bacterium is used to ferment kombucha. They added a gene from a different bacterium. This gene produces black melanin pigment. Melanin gives color to tissues in many organisms, including humans.
At first, the experiments failed because the cellulose material came out pale and faded. The researchers found out that a too acidic medium was stopping the bacteria from making melanin. To fix this, they made a two-step method. First, they made the cellulose. Then, they put it in a shaking bath with a neutral pH. This helped develop a rich black color.
The researchers could make designs on the textiles by changing the bacteria’s genes. The bacteria would only make melanin when hit by blue light. This method allows for making unique and changeable patterns on textiles that dye themselves.
The Future of Sustainable Fashion
This breakthrough in self-dyeing textiles has many potential benefits for sustainable fashion. By eliminating the need for traditional dyeing processes, these textiles can be produced with a lower environmental footprint. Additionally, the use of bacteria in textile production is a completely new approach that has not been explored before.
With this technology, sustainable fashion can take on a whole new meaning – not just using eco-friendly materials but also utilizing sustainable manufacturing processes. The future looks bright for self-dyeing textiles made by bacteria and their potential impact on the fashion industry.
Reference
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-024-02194-3
