This SBIR Phase I Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (CFDA 47.084 - NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships) to Finiks Forge, Inc. will develop chemical processes and material fabrication platforms to enable the upcycling of keratin protein waste, derived from animal hair, into sustainable textile fibers. The $275,000 award will fund research to: 1) extract keratin from hair waste through a non-denaturing process, 2) engineer the extracted keratin into textile fibers with properties comparable to wool and cashmere, and 3) implement a custom lab-scale fiber manufacturing process to demonstrate scalability. This project aims to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry by creating a new source of eco-friendly textile fibers from repurposed agricultural and industrial waste.
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