The environmental impact of synthetic non-woven materials has prompted the search for sustainable and biodegradable alternatives. This study correlates the growth conditions used to produce kombucha-derived cellulose non-woven mats with their mechanical performance as a function of post-processing. Systematically, the fermentation and growth parameters of the non-wovens, including inoculum density, carbon-source loading, temperature, and pH value were investigated. Thick, uniform non-wovens were obtained using mildly acidic conditions that balanced nutrient availability and growth rate, moderate inoculum and carbon loading at 30C. Next, we used uniaxial tensile testing and rheology to thoroughly compare the mechanical properties of two post-processing routes, lyophilization and oven-drying against the as-produced wet non-wovens. Overall, the lyophilized non-wovens displayed the highest ultimate tensile strength (15 MPa) and elongation at break (25%), which were statistically greater than the oven-dried (2.5 MPa, 6.0%) and the wet non-wovens (1.7 MPa, 9.4%). We conclude by performing a proof-of-concept recyclability experiment: we showed that used cellulose non-wovens could be enzymatically degraded and then re-manufactured into new nanofibrous textiles by electrospinning. Together, these results demonstrate a circular pathway encompassing the growth and processing of mechanically robust kombucha-derived cellulose non-wovens, as well as their biodegradation and re-manufacturing.
He, L. L., Lopez, J., Schiffman, J. D.
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