The textile industry is one of the most polluting industries there is, and synthetic textile dyes are a big part of that. That is why the company Zeefier wants to replace synthetic textile dyes with natural textile dyes from one of the most sustainable resources on planet Earth: seaweed.
Zeefier currently uses seaweed from local beaches and industry partners and produces dyes through a bio-based and environmentally friendly process. But, this production process can be improved so that less raw material is used, less dye is needed per amount of fabric, and less energy is used in the production process.
Project aim
To investigate the role of temperature in the production process of the seaweed dye and determine the role of seaweed quantity in the dye-to-fabric ratio.
- Dye production under different temperature and solid-liquid ratio regimes
- Quantify the colour and lightfastness to recommend optimal conditions, possible use of Design of Experiments
- Upscaling from laboratory to pilot-scale
Practical information
Compensation: €350 per month.
Period: Februari 2025 until July 2025. The length of the internship/graduation assignment is approximately 20 weeks.
Working language: English/Dutch.