June biotextile round-up: silk, spandex, and cellulose

A few stories that caught our eye this week: the first two about scale, the third looking at the latest limited drop from a biomaterial.

Smooth as silk

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories reported that its latest recombinant spider silk production run is exceeding yield targets by 20%. The company says that, if early results hold, this could be “the largest run of recombinant spider silk to date.”

Spider silk has long been famous for its strength, lightness, and elasticity, but the hard part has always been making enough fiber to test, sample, and eventually design with. Curious about silk? Read our alternative silk overview.

Another step towards bio-spandex

The second story is about Hyosung, one of the world’s largest spandex manufacturers, preparing the commercial debut of sugarcane-based bio-spandex from its Vietnam supply chain. According to Sourcing Journal, Hyosung has invested $1 billion in a Vietnam plant that has begun producing bio-BDO, the spandex feedstock, from sugarcane instead of fossil inputs. That chemistry is powered by Geno’s fermentation technology, while Hyosung brings the manufacturing scale and downstream spandex infrastructure. The Vietnam plant is expected to use that bio-BDO to produce bio-based spandex starting next month.

They also produced a beautiful video showcasing the production chain sugarcane → fermentation → Bio-BDO → spandex.

Cellulose wallets in your pocket

Polybion’s Fold Studies 1 limited drop release of Celium™ cultivated cellulose wallets is the latest in proof of concept product launches showing that biomaterials work for real-world applications.

The Mexico-based biomaterials company says more than 500 million bacteria were involved in growing the surfaces. From small card cases to phone bags, the items are folded from living material, creating seamless shapes.

Got a story we should cover? Email team@biorunway.com to share the details.