Diana P. Ferreira

Military Textile Waste Recycling and Valorization: Advanced Textiles for Defence

Abstract:

The textile industry is one of the most important economic sectors, but also one of those responsible for the largest generation of waste. Global textile consumption has increased substantially in the last decades and, consequently, millions of tons of textile waste have been discarded every year. Europe generates 7 – 7.5 million tons of textile waste per year, of which only 30 – 35% is collected for possible recycling. The generation of textile waste is problematic, as incineration and landfills – both inside and outside Europe – are its primary end destinations. This has several negative consequences for people and the environment. Therefore, due to its significant contribution to environmental pollution, along with the already recognized scarcity of petroleum resources, the use and recovery of this type of waste has been appointed as an urgent need.
In the military sector, the problem reaches even greater proportions since military uniforms cannot be reused by civilians, preventing the possibility of being used second-hand as common clothes. In fact, the only available solution for military textiles’ disposal is the complete destruction by incineration. Considering that military clothing is a very technical product composed of high-added-value components, the embedded value of the waste is very high, which opens the opportunity not only from the environmental point of view but also from the economic point of view. There is an increasing concern about what to do with the huge amounts of military textile waste, therefore, it is imperative to develop new strategies to overcome this problem using the most sustainable technologies and processes to respect a circular economy concept and valorize the final products of recycling.

Biography:

Diana P. Ferreira is a Researcher at the Centre for Textile Science and Technology (2C2T) of the School of Engineering of Minho University since 2017. She finished her PhD in Chemistry in 2016 at Técnico Lisbon, University of Lisbon. The research interests are focused on using sustainable chemistry for the development of smart, innovative, and sustainable fibrous-based materials. Namely, the development of innovative natural fibers (especially using electrospinning and wetspinning techniques), the extraction and treatment of plant fibers, and the recycling and valorization of textile wastes. She is focused on the application of this knowledge in different areas including photodynamic therapy of cancer, wound dressing systems, localized drug delivery systems, multifunctional textiles, smart textiles, and personal protective equipment for chemical and biological protection, among others. Diana is the Coordinator of several academic research projects, projects in collaboration with companies, and a Professor of Textile Chemistry and Textile Materials.
Diana is a supervisor of Ph.D. and Master students, has published almost 60 original peer-reviewed papers, presented over 70 national and international communications, and wrote 2 book chapters and 1 book. She is the guest editor of several journals and part of the Scientific Committee of International Conferences. Her work has been cited nearly 1300 times and she has an h-index of 22. Member of the Board of 2C2T Research Centre, Coordinator of Fibrous Materials Research Line, and Member of Coordination Board of the Doctoral Program in Textile Engineering.