The Valencian Institute for Business Competitiveness (IVACE) has granted funding of €72,394.20, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) at a rate of 60% through the ERDF Operational Programme of the Valencian Community, for the project entitled “RESEARCH ON FERMENTATION-BASED BIOPIGMENTS FOR TEXTILE DYEING AND PRINTING”, with reference number IMIDCA/2022/2, submitted under the PIDCOP-CV programme.

The objective of this project was the research and development of coloration processes aimed at the home textile sector, in which biopigments derived from bacterial microorganisms were used as the main innovation. The R&D activities included the study of eco-formulations and their application through yarn dyeing and both flatbed and rotary printing on fabrics.

The development of this project focused on solving the technical challenges associated with the efficient implementation of new dyeing processes (for yarns and fabrics) and printing processes (for fabrics), representing an alternative to conventional dyeing and printing while enabling a reduction in the environmental impact associated with textile coloration.

Furthermore, at a global level, the development of new coloration methods based on the use of biopigments represents a viable alternative to conventional dyeing processes, which are predominantly based on synthetic pigments. The aim is to reduce the environmental impact associated with these processes and contribute to lowering the overall environmental footprint of the textile industry, which is considered one of the most polluting sectors worldwide.

Finally, the project was successfully completed, resulting in the development of a new coloration process based on fermentation-derived biopigments.