Annelies Luyt
Enzymes at Work: Breaking Down Fibres for a Greener Future
London Christian Elementary School
Fast fashion has contributed to excess textile waste in our world, and very little of it is recycled. Recycling blended textiles is especially difficult, with no currently used methods. This project explores textile separation using enzymes and determining the most effective enzyme mixture. The hypothesis is that an enzymatic method will separate a blended cotton-polyester fabric. A mixture of cellulase and β-glucosidase will be more effective than cellulase alone and will contain more glucose. The cotton will be degraded into glucose as a bioenergy source, while the remaining polyester can be reused for textiles or plastic products. The results showed that an enzymatic method can be used to separate blended textiles. Cellulase, alone, was slightly more effective than a mixture of both cellulase and β-glucosidase. Both trials contained approximately 2% glucose in the solutions. This method could be used on a larger scale for improved sustainability in the textile industry.
Bronze Medal