The biotechnology has made rapid developments in genetic engineering with a possibility of 'tailoring' organisms in order to optimize production of established or novel metabolites of commercial importance and of transferring genetic material (genes) from one organism to another. It has economized developing industrial processes with less energy and renewable raw materials thus it is an effective interdisciplinary and integrate natural and engineering sciences. Few textile industrial uses are focused here.
Fibers and Biopolymers: Cotton, wool and silk natural textile fibers are an asset but biotechnology producing unique fibers and improve yields of existing fibers. Cotton is leading worldwide textile fiber with ca 20 million tons grown/year by about 85 countries but it is vulnerable to many insects, and to maintain yields, large amounts of pesticides are in use. Cotton is prone to infestation by weeds under intense irrigation conditions and needs throughout its growth cycle, and has poor tolerance to any of the herbicides. Hence biotechnologists have put forward short-term objectives on genetically engineering insect, disease and herbicide resistance into cotton plant along with modification of fiber quality and properties to have high performance cottons. Naturally colored cottons are attracting the world market hence transgenic intensely colored cottons (blues and vivid reds) is dream of the day that can replace bleaching and dyeing.
Biotechnology has largely influenced animal fiber production, in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer, diagnostics, genetically engineered vaccines and therapeutic drugs are other catchments of it. CSIRO, Australia’s national research organization is put up efforts for genetic modification of sheep to resist attack from blowfly larvae by engineering a sheep that secretes an insect repellent from its hair follicles and 'biological wool shearing’'. And is expected to artificial epidermal growth factor which on injection into sheep interrupts hair growth, within a month, it breaks up in wool fiber and fleece can be pulled off whole in half the time it takes to shear a sheep.
source: articlebase
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