Leftover grass and clover could get a second life in the textile sector. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology extracted cellulose from the press cake left over after protein is extracted from grass and clover, turned it into fibres and produced a sample of knitted fabric.
According to the team, the cellulose is the same as in trees but easier to extract, and the process can use simpler chemistry, with fewer chemicals and less energy. The researchers now aim to test the process at pilot scale and compare it with industrial processes. The result shows that the clothes of the future could start with a residue that is today mainly used to produce biogas.
