Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Category
STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)
Abstract/Artist Statement
Silk fibroin (SF) is a structural protein with good mechanical properties, allowing its processing into scaffolds, including films and hydrogels for biotechnological applications. SF is traditionally sourced from Bombyx mori silkworm cocoons and silk textile yarn—sources also relied upon by the textile industry for fabrics. This shared dependence creates high demand for cocoons and yarn, which is met through large-scale silkworm rearing and cocoon harvesting. These practices are associated with environmental and ethical concerns, including a heavy carbon footprint and silkworm killing, necessitating the search for alternative SF sources for biotechnology purposes.
Silk textile waste (STW), with over 11 million tons generated annually, has been proposed as a feasible alternative. However, it remains unclear whether SF from STW will retain molecular and functional properties comparable to SF from conventional sources to allow downstream applications. This study addresses this knowledge gap by extracting SF from three STW forms—undyed waste silk fiber (WSF), dyed WSF, and sari ribbon scraps—and from the two conventional sources (cocoon and yarn), followed by comparative analysis of their molecular, physicochemical, rheological, scaffold, and cytocompatibility properties.
SF from all STW forms exhibited molecular and physicochemical properties comparable to conventional SF, although sari ribbon scrap SF showed greater protein degradation. SF viscosity and scaffold mechanical properties correlated with the extent of prior textile processing, following the trend: cocoon > yarn > undyed WSF > dyed WSF > sari ribbon scrap. STW-derived SF was cytocompatible, though residual impurities suggest caution for direct biomedical use. Plasticized SF films from STW exhibited mechanical properties comparable to commercial plastic films, indicating their applicability as bioplastics for packaging. Future work will assess the moisture and gas permeability and biodegradability of SF plastic films.
Overall, this work contributes to advancing circular bioeconomic strategies and reducing the environmental footprint of silk-based materials.
Mentor Name
Ndiana-Abasi Sunday
Ndiana-Abasi Sunday Poster Presentation video
Evaluation of Silk Textile Waste as an Alternative Source of Silk Fibroin for Biotechnological Applications
UC North Ballroom
Silk fibroin (SF) is a structural protein with good mechanical properties, allowing its processing into scaffolds, including films and hydrogels for biotechnological applications. SF is traditionally sourced from Bombyx mori silkworm cocoons and silk textile yarn—sources also relied upon by the textile industry for fabrics. This shared dependence creates high demand for cocoons and yarn, which is met through large-scale silkworm rearing and cocoon harvesting. These practices are associated with environmental and ethical concerns, including a heavy carbon footprint and silkworm killing, necessitating the search for alternative SF sources for biotechnology purposes.
Silk textile waste (STW), with over 11 million tons generated annually, has been proposed as a feasible alternative. However, it remains unclear whether SF from STW will retain molecular and functional properties comparable to SF from conventional sources to allow downstream applications. This study addresses this knowledge gap by extracting SF from three STW forms—undyed waste silk fiber (WSF), dyed WSF, and sari ribbon scraps—and from the two conventional sources (cocoon and yarn), followed by comparative analysis of their molecular, physicochemical, rheological, scaffold, and cytocompatibility properties.
SF from all STW forms exhibited molecular and physicochemical properties comparable to conventional SF, although sari ribbon scrap SF showed greater protein degradation. SF viscosity and scaffold mechanical properties correlated with the extent of prior textile processing, following the trend: cocoon > yarn > undyed WSF > dyed WSF > sari ribbon scrap. STW-derived SF was cytocompatible, though residual impurities suggest caution for direct biomedical use. Plasticized SF films from STW exhibited mechanical properties comparable to commercial plastic films, indicating their applicability as bioplastics for packaging. Future work will assess the moisture and gas permeability and biodegradability of SF plastic films.
Overall, this work contributes to advancing circular bioeconomic strategies and reducing the environmental footprint of silk-based materials.