Upcycling Wool Waste into Keratin Gel-Based Nanofibers Using Deep Eutectic Solvents

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Textile Engineering
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• Textile industry generates millions of tons of wool waste annually, posing environmental concerns.
• Conventional methods for wool keratin (WK) dissolution and regeneration often use toxic and non-biodegradable chemicals.
• Developing sustainable alternatives for wool waste valorization is crucial for environmental protection and resource management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of deep eutectic solvents (DES) as eco-friendly alternatives for dissolving and regenerating wool keratin (WK) from textile waste.
• To fabricate WK-based nanofibers using electrospinning and assess their properties.
• To evaluate the bioactivity of the developed nanofibers for potential applications.

Main Methods:

• Dissolution of wool waste using two different DES mixtures: Choline chloride (ChCl): Urea and L-Cysteine (L-Cys): Lactic acid (LA).
• Blending of DES-WK gels with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) at various ratios.
• Fabrication of nanofibers using the electrospinning technique.
• Evaluation of antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the resulting nanofibers.

Main Results:

• The L-Cys: LA DES mixture proved most effective for dissolving wool waste and forming WK gels.
• Electrospinning of PVA/L-Cys: LA DES-WK blends successfully produced WK gel-based nanofibers.
• The fabricated nanofibers exhibited significant antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, confirming their bioactivity.

Conclusions:

• Deep eutectic solvents offer a sustainable and eco-friendly approach for wool waste valorization.
• The developed WK gel-based nanofibers possess valuable bioactive properties.
• This method provides a pathway for creating sustainable functional materials from textile waste for biomedical and industrial applications.