Mango Materials

Microfiber Innovation Challenge Winner

Non-toxic, biodegradable biopolyester fibers

Oakland, CA

Mango Materials has developed an innovative manufacturing technology that turns waste carbon emissions into biodegradable biopolyester fibers. By feeding waste-methane gas to non-genetically modified bacteria, the team has developed a novel gas-fermentation process that produces a naturally occurring, non-toxic powder. This powder can either be converted into pellets and melt-spun to create fibers for textiles, or turned into a variety of conventional plastic goods. At the end of life, these can be disposed of at a modern waste facility where they are converted into methane via anaerobic digestion, making them both recyclable and biodegradable. The team hopes this will help to reduce the impact of some of the 30 billion pounds of textiles that are currently discarded into landfills every year.

Knitted swatch from Mango Materials

 
Mango Materials logo
 
Mango Materials Founders - 2021

Mango Materials Founders - 2021

The Mango Materials Team:

Allison Pieja Ph.D.

Anne Schauer-Gimenez Ph.D.

Molly Morse Ph.D.

 
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Natural Fiber Welding

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Low fibre-shedding yarns