847 - Textile quality and biotechnology

The textile industry is often identified as a key sector where opportunities available for adapting biotechnology are high but current awareness of is very low. This is mainly due to the large number of SMEs manufacturing textiles. This Action was focused on a specilised area of textile processing, i.e. on the quality of fibres and on the biotechnical and environmental-friendly applications by using enzymatic processes. By using these biotechnical methods energy or chemicals could be saved or, alternatively, the final product quality could be improved.
During the Action know-how about enzymatic processes and fibre assessment techniques has been delivered to the textile companies through annual workshops and scientific publications and via contacts of individual researchers with the industry. Over 35% of the participants of the 2004 annual conference participants came from industry. Some examples: A coherent methodology for flax fibre assessment has been developed; the flax fibre extraction has been improved; enzym and microorganisms based processes for textile effluent treatment have been established.
Textile knowledge has also been transferred to experts on enzymology thus leading to potential development of novel enzyme systems for textile purposes. The COST Action has provided exchange of information between research institutes specialised either in biotechnology or textile processing thus resulting improvement of the entire area of textile biotechnology. The knowledge created has been utilised in several different processes for textile industry. During the Action several patents have been filed in projects involved.

The COST 847 network has also resulted in several joint EU (STREP/ IP/ NEST/ CRAFT/ EUREKA) and national research projects.