Open Source Keratin Based Semi-Synthetic Textile Producer

Basics

• Part of the Open Source Textile Construction Set
• Creates Consistent, potentially Alpaca / Chinchilla level quality Textiles, From A Diverse Pool of Potential Keratin Based Inputs
• Does so by dissolving keratin based input materials (Wool, Animal Fiber, etc ) and then bringing it out of solution by pumping it through a nozzle into a tank of a different solution, which lowers the solvent's solubility, causing a uniform strand of cellulose fiber to form
• This can then be processed into thread, string, rope, cloth etc.
• The resulting textiles are biological molecule based, but are as consistent as plastic based textiles, unlike solely natural fiber
• The biggest issue is the solvent, nearly all other apsects have been done in industry, and the Open Source Cellulose Based Semi-Synthetic Textile Producer is essentially the same machine
  • Said solvent would also lowkey dissolve hair/nails/skin, so not exactly safe...
• Scihouse Inc. has this project on backburner, as well as spider silk in the same machine (the genetic engineering for yeast->spider silk is nearly done (see The Thought Emporium 's videos on the project

Background Research

Overall Process

• Keratin Sources are chosen
• Material is Gathered
• Material is Cleaned
  • Conventional Washing Machines MAY work for this, potentially with a Laundry Bag
    • Tolerance of those machines to intense solvents and/or excessive foam (Especially in High Efficiency Washing Machines ) is a concern to look into
• Whatever the Commercial Machine that turns Raw Wool into Lanolin / Blackwater (ie Industrial Wastewater and Refined Wool Fiber is also worth a look, although this would require a dedicated machine
  • Farmsteading type sectors may have info on this too
• Cleaned Keratin Feedstocks are Ground Up (to speed up reaction times, akin to how Paper Mills using Chemical Pulping use Wood Chips , not logs
• Keratin is Dissolved in a Special Solvent
  • Potential Solvent Concentration/Filtration Sub-Step
• Solution is Wet Spun to produce Monofilament Fibers or Yarn
  • For applications in Nonwoven Textiles or Lower Strength Yarns, “crashing” the solution out in bulk (or a Plug Flow Reactor of sorts) may allow for simplified, albeit less controlled, fiber production

Chemistry Involved/Solvent Research

• A 2023 Paper in ACS Sustaibable Chemical Engineering” Titled “Bioinspired Processing of Keratin into Upcycled Fibers through pH-Induced Coacervation “

Used for

• Textile Production

Minimum Viable Product

• Modular
• User Maintainable
• User Upgradeable
• Accepts a wide variety of input materials
• DC or AC Powered
• Reuses all chemicals used
• Fits in a standard shipping container ( See Precious Plastic , this will use a similar philosophy)
• Safe

Basic Design

• 1x Input Material Shredder Module
• 1x Shredded Input Material Storage Module
• 2x Input Material Augers
• 1x Unsaturated Solution Storage Tank
• 1x Input Material Dissolving / Solution Saturating Module
• 1x Saturated Solution Storage Tank
• 1x Reformation Solution Storage Tank
• 1x Final Product Extrusion Module + Reformation Module
• 1x Solution Recycling Module
• 6x Liquid Pumps
• 1x Pump/Solenoid Controller Module
• 1x General Control Module
• 1x IO Panel
• 1X Shipping Container

Internal Links

• Open Source Cellulose Based Semi-Synthetic Textile Producer (A currently used process, by industry, but with cellulose)

External Links

• The Wikipedia Page on Semi-Synthetic Fibers
• 2019 - Keratin as a Biopolymer