Pure liquid silk

Evolved by Nature has developed pure liquid silk; properly speaking: silk in solution. This substance will enable yarns to be covered with silk. They will then have the properties that lend such an exquisite quality to silk: soft on the skin, sustainable and durable. The product has been embraced by Chanel, as reported by the Biofuels Digest.

A good alternative

Evolved by Nature calls its product Activated Silk. This can replace synthetic polymers and plastics used to produce apparel and personal care products. In the apparel industry, yarns are often coated with unsustainable products. For example, yoga pants are coated in silicone to make them slippery. That silicone is dissolved in toxic solvents. Wool gets coated in plastic to make it shrink resistant and washable. But wool is a protein almost identical to silk, so it is easy to coat wool with silk. That will prevent wool fibres from breaking and shedding.

Activated Silk can be configured into dozens of different molecular compositions to achieve desired results. Silk is a very difficult material to process. The proteins easily fold and become useless as a fabric source. Evolved by Nature’s process prevents this outcome to happen. This liquid silk can be used to cover materials like nylon and cotton and lend them a silk-like outer layer. It can also be used in skin care products and as a substitute for plastics in artificial leather.

Liquid silk, a natural product

The liquid silk is produced from silkworms. For its process, the company doesn’t need fibre strands that have remained intact – it can use cocoons that otherwise would have been discarded. Then, they turn the silk into liquid form by introducing salt and water. The fibroin dissolves, the salt is removed, and the end result is pure silk protein in liquid. This liquid silk is a very versatile resource for coating purposes. It can be customized to work in different ways a partner needs it to. It is non-toxic (doesn’t contain BPA, phthalates, formaldehyde and the like), it is made from organically grown cocoons and sustainably produced.

This liquid silk replaces harsh finishing agents often applied to materials, from nylon to cotton to polyester. Its products dry faster, recover well from stretching and resist abrasion. They can be produced more sustainably, used more responsibly and recycled more safely.

This is the fourth article in a series on innovative silk. The articles were published on 16 December and 28 December 2017, 4 January 2018 and 23 October 2019.

Author

Diederik van der Hoeven

Source

Bio Based Press, 2019-10-23.

Supplier

Evolved by Nature

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