Introduction According to COP21, textile industry is the second-largest polluter globally, second to the oil. Different stages of textile production produce different kinds of harmful pollutants. To relief the environmental problem brought by textile industry, Kombucha tea SCOBY is proposed by few fashion designer to be used as textile material. Kombucha tea is a lightly fizzy drink and can assist in digestive health and liver detoxification. It is made by mixing symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast with sweetened tea. During fermentation, a pellicle formed on surface is called SCOBY. It is 100% biodegradable cellulose and has leather-liked texture. In our project, we study the feasibility of using the microbes in Kombucha tea to produce “textile material” – SCOBY by comparing its “textile” properties with common textile materials (cotton and polyester). Experiment Growing SCOBY Measuring Textile Properties of SCOBY Mix the sugar/tea solution with microbes in Kombucha tea Cover the mixture and grow the “SCOBY” over week Add sugar and tea bags into water and boil the mixture RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Feasibility of Using Microbes to Make Textile JBBC09 Conclusion SCOBY - 100% Cellulose Biodegradable and Environmentally friendly Modern textile industry - The second largest polluter globally References • http:// www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-24/brewing-clothes-queensland-fashion-student-grow-garments-in-jar/5765060 • https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-fashion-industry-tries-to-take-responsibility-for-its-pollution/2016/06/30/11706fa6-3e15-11e6-80bc- d06711fd2125_story.html?utm_term=.17d6cb82a623 Lee Audrey Chu Man-ching Carrie Chiu Shun Lok Leung Long Hei Ziv Wong Paolo Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) To study the surface morphology of textile samples Tensile Strength Test Heat Retention Test SEM Scan Under 10000X Under 3000X Tensile Strength Test Tensile Strength of SCOBY increases with thickness Heat Retention Test Standardized Red Tea SCOBY (compared with common textile materials) Highest tensile strength (with same thickness) ∵ weaved by very long and fine fabrics and intertwined very well Best heat retention ∵ SCOBY has less “porous” in structure conserve heat energy much better Feasible to use microbes to make promising textile material - SCOBY Red Tea SCOBY Oolong Tea SCOBY Polyester Cotton >10 mm Polyester and Cotton have thicker fiber and a lot “porous” than SCOBYs Red Tea SCOBY Oolong Tea SCOBY Green Tea SCOBY Both Red Tea and Oolong Tea SCOBYs weaved continuously by longer and thinner “fiber” than Green Tea SCOBY ~0.1 mm ~0.5 mm 0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0 90.0 Red Tea SCOBY Oolong Tea SCOBY Polyester Cotton Relative Tensile Strength Comparing Relative Tensile Strengths of SCOBYs with Common Textile Materials With same thickness , Red Tea SCOBY is the stiffest Thinnest Red Tea SCOBY keep warm the most !!! 30 35 40 45 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Temperature (oC) Time (min) Heat Durability Test for Different Textile Oolong Tea SCOBY Cotton Polyester Red Tea SCOBY Takes longest time to have same temperature drop y = 33.077x y = 81.714x 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12 Tensile Strength (Nmm-2) Thickness of SCOBY (mm) Thickness Effect on Tensile Strength of SCOBY Oolong Tea SCOBY Red Tea SCOBY Red Tea SCOBY > Oolong Tea SCOBY