From fruit to fashion - technologies that transform fruit biomass into leather-like for the fashion industry

• Grant number: 24/23924-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Mylene Cristina Alves Ferreira Rezende
• Grantee: Mylene Cristina Alves Ferreira Rezende
• Associated researchers: Isabel Duarte Coutinho ; Luiz Antonio Dutra

Abstract

In this proposal, the product to be obtained is a leather-like with application in the fashion (clothing and footwear) and design production chain as an alternative to animal-based leather. The technology will be used to extract mango biomass, resulting in a stream of soluble fibers and another of non-soluble fibers. The non-soluble fibers will be converted into leather-like by 3 routes, namely: (i) drying of the fibers to obtain the leather-like directly; (ii) drying of the fibers for extrusion and obtaining filaments for 3D printing and consequent formation/prototyping of the leather-like; and (iii) formation of hydrogel from the non-soluble fibers for 3D printing, leading to leather-like for insoles for the footwear segment. (AU)