Bio-materials company Nanollose Limited (ASX:NC6) filed a joint patent application with cellulosic fibre producer Grasim Industries Limited to develop a high tenacity lyocell fibre made from Microbial Cellulose.

The joint innovation with a patent application entitled High Tenacity Lyocell Fibres From Bacterial Cellulose and Method of Preparation Thereof is an improvement to Nanollose’s previous viscose versions of nullarbor™ and nufolium™. 

On the patent application, Nanollose Executive Chairman Dr. Wayne Best commented: “We are extremely pleased with the progress of our collaboration with Grasim and Birla Cellulose, which has already delivered this joint patent application.”

A major sustainability upgrade

The joint innovation is an upgrade of previous iterations of the company’s leading fibre technology.

The upgrade combines Nanollose’s tree-free cellulose with a ‘closed-loop’ production process to create one of the most eco-friendly and sustainable fibres in the market.

“This innovative development is another important step in our continuing journey to make our fibres more sustainable,” Dr. Aspi Patel, Chief Technology Officer for the Aditya Birla Group and Birla Cellulose, stated.

Aside from making the nullarbor™ sustainable, Best said that the major advancements over previous iterations should give the textile material “superior properties” relative to more conventional tree-based materials.

Best added that pilot production of the new-and-improved nullarbor™ would commence soon, while presentations to the fashion industry will also soon follow.

“This is an exciting development in the area of next-generation alternative feedstock, and we are looking forward to scaling up this technology in collaboration with Nanollose,” said Patel.

What is lyocell?

A form of rayon textile, lyocell is Nanollose’s unique fibre tech developed using a low-resource, low-demand ‘closed loop process.’ Fibres grown from this process present an alternative to conventional, plant-derived cellulose ones.

The result is a sustainable and environmentally-friendly material that can be used in various textile and fashion industries. 

Due to its advantageous qualities, including durability and comfort, lyocell is expected to make significant gains in the future. By 2024, Nanollose expects the lyocell market to be worth US$1.5 billion.