Advances in Manufacturing Sustainable Textile Fibres from Chitin and its Derivatives: Spinning Methods, Fibre Functional Properties, Biodegradability, and Environmental Impacts

Most of the current textiles are made from non-renewable, non-biodegradable synthetic fibres that are a source of microplastic pollution. The alternative biodegradable natural fibres have not only limited production but also have high energy and water usage along with high carbon footprints. Chitin has immense possibilities to replace non-biodegradable synthetic polymers for textile fibre manufacturing because of its abundance, biodegradability, and many beneficial functional properties. Despite its abundance, its utilization in textile fibre manufacturing is limited because of its insolubility and performance issues. Spinning of fibres from chitin derivatives for textile production was mainly studied by wet and dry-jet wet spinning methods using a range of solvents including ionic liquids, spinning dope additives (other polymers, nanoparticles), and various coagulation baths that considerably enhanced fibre performance and functionalities. Recent advancements enabled manufacturing fibres by gel spinning directly from chitin without any derivatization, which produced fibres with strength comparable to several natural fibres. This review discusses chitin and its derivatives as fibre-forming polymers, spinning methods, various solvents used, spinning methods, fibre crosslinking, and spinning dope additives to enhance the mechanical and functional properties of the resultant fibres. The discussion also includes the toxicity and biodegradation of chitin fibre, carbon footprints, and future directions in advancing its application towards sustainable fibre production. The key limitation of the review article is the consideration of only published peer-reviewed journal articles but no patent specifications.