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Environmentally conscious hydrophobic spray coatings on bacterial cellulose for sustainable and reusable textiles

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Jane ScottORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Abstract

© 2025The textile industry generates significant carbon emissions every year through its manufacturing processes. This issue, coupled to the rise in textiles persisting in landfills - due partly to use of non-degradable chemical-based coatings, and the use of synthetic materials - indicates that a route to cleaner production and disposal is necessary. To address this, we developed a novel, bio-based hydrophobic coating for bacterial cellulose textiles using recombinant Biofilm-surface layer protein A, BslA, applied via an optimised spray-coating method. The coated material exhibited a water contact angle of 109°, significantly higher than that of a commercially available alternative. The biodegradability of this material was tested by incubating in soil and compost, and coated bacterial cellulose was degraded by 80 % ± 5.18 and 60 % ± 2.74 within 7 days respectively, significantly outperforming Nikwax-coated bacterial cellulose (<10 % degradation in soil and <5 % in compost), Furthermore, we have demonstrated that the hydrophobic protein coating was recoverable and reusable, with 47 % of BslA successfully reclaimed via enzymatic treatment, enabling reapplication. These results establish a scalable and circular approach to textile waterproofing, offering a fully biodegradable and recyclable alternative to conventional synthetic coatings, thus advancing sustainable material innovation in the textile industry.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Gilmour KA, Dell'Agnese BM, Bonney G, Unthank M, White N, Scott J, Sherry A, James P, Jiang Y, Dade-Robertson M, Zhang M

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Journal of Cleaner Production

Year: 2025

Volume: 514

Print publication date: 10/07/2025

Online publication date: 21/05/2025

Acceptance date: 20/05/2025

Date deposited: 02/06/2025

ISSN (print): 0959-6526

ISSN (electronic): 1879-1786

Publisher: Elsevier Ltd

URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.145775

DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.145775

Data Access Statement: Data will be made available on request

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