CONVERTING AGRICULTURAL WASTE INTO BIOBASED, NONTOXIC, AND BIODEGRADABLE ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL AND SYNTHETIC LEATHERS

The top goal of this project is to boost the USA's economic competitiveness in the sustainability-focused global market by introducing new eco-friendly products that reduce the US agriculture and textile industries' environmental impact. We solve a two-fold problem with the agriculture industry and the textile industry, which includes both the fashion and soft furnishings industries. Our technology presents an opportunity to utilize US farmers' limited-value agricultural waste that would otherwise be discarded or burned, thereby generating additional revenue for farmers with added environmental, social, economic, and ethical benefits to agriculture, textile, fashion, and soft furnishings industries.Specifically, the fashion industry is the second largest polluter of the environment after the oil industry and is significantly responsible for the current state of global carbon emissions. Synthetic textiles, animal, and faux/vegan leathers like vinyl will negatively impact the environment and human health for hundreds of years since their production requires toxic chemicals, and there is no natural process to break them down. There is a dire need for material production to start with circularity and a renewable life cycle from the start. This includes the reuse and recycling of waste material, reducing the amount of water, energy, and toxic chemical usage that contaminate our water systems, and creating products that easily biodegrade, all designed from the start to reduce our carbon footprint.Synthetic and animal leather production is extremely harmful to the environment and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution. Perfluorinated or "forever chemicals" used in leather production and functional and performance clothing have damaged the environment and harmed human health for hundreds of years since there is no natural process to break them down. While some vegan "leathers" offer an alternative to animal leather, many are often made from petroleum-based plastics, contain hazardous chemicals, are not biodegradable, produce enormous amounts of waste, and release microplastics and toxic fumes into the environment. According to the Higg Materials Sustainability Index, leather made from cow's skin contributes more to global warming, water pollution, water depletion, and greenhouse gas emissions than synthetic or plant-based vegan "leather." In addition, the tanning of animal leather uses toxic chemicals like chrome, acids, and ammonium salts and exposes workers to arsenic, which can increase the risk of developing cancer by as much as 50%. Synthetic petroleum-based leather (PU and PVC) may generate less emissions than animal leather production, but it still retains a significant carbon footprint. The production of current synthetic leather has a carbon cost of 15.8 kg per square meter. These materials do not biodegrade, contribute to microplastic production, and release toxic chemicals during manufacturing. While these "leathers" do not use animals and are cheap and durable, they are not an answer to the environmental concerns of leather production.We offer a circular system that includes sustainable and biodegradable leather-like materials with comparable performance capabilities to other materials currently available. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, our proprietary lignocellulosic raw material offers a zero-waste solution as it is derived from agricultural waste by-products (agro-waste) that would otherwise be discarded. By implementing this process, we address and solve the major problems concerning water, energy, and chemical use in manufacturing by eliminating toxic chemicals, using less water and energy, and reducing water pollution normally created in textile and, animal, and synthetic leather production.The major objectives of this project:Objective 1. Demonstrate the process using a range of raw materials and parameters.We seek to demonstrate the process using different raw materials, including pecans, peanuts, and a combination, nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC), and a combination, three different fibers, different chemicals as plasticizers, and temperature. Differences in pecan and peanut shells/hulls' properties will potentially lead to distinct differences in physical and mechanical properties. Thickness, tensile strength, tear resistance, water vapor permeability, melting temperature, decomposition temperature, density, flex resistance, abrasion resistance, and colorfastness will be comparatively assessed according to ASTM and AATCC standards.Success Metrics: Biobased leather alternatives developed using our technology achieve statistically comparable or better physical and mechanical performance as compared to synthetic and animal leather.Note that even for comparable performance, the elimination of toxic substances and biodegradability offered by our technology is a critical advantage.Objective 2. Develop various thicknesses, aesthetic coloration, and textures.In order tooffer comparable products to synthetic and animal leather, we intend todevelop various thicknesses from about 0.5 mm to about 6 mm for different applications and different surface textures by using heating and embossing techniques to create different designs and patterns. Additionally, we will use different pigments from plant, lake, and earth sources.Success Metrics: achieve aesthetically comparable or better physical appearance, as compared to synthetic and animal leather.This effort will culminate in the production of a variety of biobased leather samples composed primarily of sustainable materials. This foundational work will establish the platform technology as a facile and scalable approach.Objective 3. Experiment with different inherent and applied functional finishes. Initial experiments have confirmed that our biobased "leather" alternative has inherent antimicrobial properties. We will test the performance of our nanocellulose hydrogel to deliver functionalities to our biobased "leather."In this project, we will investigate and improve the biobased "leather" antimicrobial properties, further justifying future testing with a wider range of functional properties. Successful entrapment of functional molecules into the nanocellulose host will require testing different systems containing NFC and NCC with a functional agent.Success Metrics: Demonstrate the efficacy of nanocellulose hydrogels to deliver functional properties to the biobased "leather."Objective 4. Evaluate platform capabilities as a leather alternative.We will test the physical and mechanical performance of our biobased "leather" according to ASTM and AATCC test methods in comparison to synthetic and animal leathers. Several standardized test methods need to be conducted on our leather-like materials to evaluate their performances for textile applications. We will evaluate and measure appearance, touch and feel, thickness, tensile strength, tear resistance, water vapor permeability, melting temperature, decomposition temperature, density, flex resistance, abrasion resistance, and colorfastness. We will then evaluate the performance by conducting a statistical analysis.