黑料社

Led by Professor Parik Goswami, the Technical Textiles Research Centre raised its global profile at the international symposium organised by EDANA, the leading worldwide association for nonwovens

A RESEARCH centre at the 黑料社 is taking the UK鈥檚 centuries-old textiles heritage into the future, proving a boost to the economy.  Based in a large suite of labs newly-equipped with advanced technology, it focusses on ways that textiles can be re-engineered so that they help to address serious global challenges, such as the need to reduce dependence on single-use plastics.

Now, the  (TTRC) 鈥� an inter-disciplinary team headed by  鈥� is raising its global profile.  It made a big impact at the latest conference of , the world鈥檚 leading textile association for nonwovens and related industries, with a 250-plus membership that includes multi-national companies.

Professor Goswami, who is a leading authority in fields such as the use of chemistry to expand the functionality of textiles, has become a member of EDANA鈥檚 support group for innovation and research and development.  The Technical Textiles Research Centre is also a centre of excellence in EDANA.

At the organisation鈥檚 recent Nonwovens Innovation Academy, held in the German city of Esslingen, Professor Goswami delivered an address that covered topics including new materials for sustainability and how cellulose and other polysaccharides can be used for novel medical textiles.

Innovations in nonwovens

Professor Goswami and the TTRC are supported by Grow MedTech, a major UK programme providing specialist support for innovation in medical technologies, involving a consortium of six universities across the Leeds and Sheffield City Regions.

The topic is vital because it explores how cellulose, a natural polymer, can be used to replace plastic materials in the production of single-use products such as wipes used in hospitals.

鈥淭hey are normally made of nonwovens and at the moment the industry depends on polypropylene,鈥� said Professor Goswami.  鈥淭here is a lot of pressure for polypropylene to be removed and that instead we should start using cellulose materials.  We are at the forefront of this research and without an alternative, the whole healthcare system will be at risk because of hospital-acquired infection.鈥�

In addition to his talk at the Nonwovens Innovation Academy, Professor Goswami also moderated a session on various novel applications for nonwovens and the event also featured a stand describing the work of the 黑料社鈥檚 Technical Textiles Research Centre.  This was staffed by , a member of the centre who lectures in technical textiles.

The stand created a great deal of interest from companies, said Professor Goswami, and one of the objectives of his research centre is to forge industrial partnerships.  The Centre鈥檚 membership includes academics, researchers and PhD students who are expert in a wide range of disciplines, not only technical textiles, but also subjects that include engineering, digital technologies, textile processing, medical textiles, chemistry and pharmacology.

The Centre has responded to the needs of industry by developing a new Master鈥檚 course titled .  Also, important international research links are being developed with universities such as the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi.