**7. References**


**23** 

*Slovenia* 

**Soybean Protein Fibres (SPF)** 

Soybean protein fibres (SPF) are manufactured fibres, produced from regenerated soya *Glycine Max* soybean proteins in combination with synthetic polymer (polyvinyl alcohol) as a predominant component. According to textile fibre labelling (FTC, 2010), textiles from SPF can be marked as azlons from soybean. Azlons are manufactured fibres in which the fibreforming substance is composed of regenerated naturally occurring proteins (FTC, 2011). The first commercially successful method for producing regenerated protein fibres was developed by the Italian chemist Antonio Ferretti in 1935 (Ferretti, 1944; White, 2008). In 1936 Snia Viscosa (Milan) started with the production of the world's first commercially produced protein fibres Lanital™ which were made from milk casein (Anon., 1937). Courtaulds in Great Britain (casein fibres Caslen, Fibrolan), Enka in Netherlands, Germany and United States of America (casein fibres Aralac, R-53) soon followed with their commercial productions. Fibres were treated with formaldehyde or aluminium salts, to create cross-links between proteins in the fibre and improve fibre's wet properties. In the year 1945 Snia Viscosa replaced Lanital™ fibres with Merinova™ casein fibres (Fig. 1), which

In the middle of the 20th century and until 1960, vegetable regenerated protein fibres from oilseed peanuts proteins (Ardil fibres, produced by British ICI Company) (Fig. 1) and from corn zein proteins (Vicara fibres produced by American Virginia-Carolina Corporation) were also produced among casein fibres. Fabrics made from regenerated protein fibres were soft, lustrous, resilient, with a good hand and thermal resistance. They were used as a wool

Rapid development of cheaper synthetic fibres with excellent mechanical properties in the early sixties had influence on the commercial production of regenerated protein fibres that

Nowadays, increasing world population need additional quantities of textiles. The world fibre production increases from year to year and in 2010 there was globally produced 78 million tons of fibres, including about one million tons of wool and 0.15 million tons of silk (Kanitkar, 2010). Wool and silk are still very expensive fibres, with selling prices of about

Today's fibre production strategy is redirected from crude oil to renewable raw materials, eco-friendly and sustainable fibres, that could be biodegraded or recycled. Important raw materials for future textile fibres production could be cheap and worldwide available agricultural by-products, like lignocellulose (from rice straw), wheat gluten (Yang et al., 2006), casein protein from milk after butterfat is removed, zein protein from corn after starch

**1. Introduction** 

had better properties than Lanital™ fibres.

or silk substitute by many European fashion designers.

was completely discontinued in the middle of the 1960s.

14−23 €/kg and 28−40 €/kg, respectively (Reddy & Yang, 2007).

manufacture, and soybean protein after beans are pressed and oil is removed.

Tatjana Rijavec and Živa Zupin

*University of Ljubljana* 

