Room: Poster Area
Date: Thursday, 21 May 2026
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 CEST
Session code 3CV.4
Processes and concepts
HALOphyte Biorefinery Process for Sustainable Production of TEXtiles, Composites, and High-value Biochemicals
Short Introductive summary
HALO-TEX introduces novel, sustainable, circular bioproduct manufacturing system utilizing the biorefinery of salt-tolerant plant biomass. General goal is to use underexploited, climate-resilient feedstocks, namely Sea Aster, Sarcocornia. Selected circular, non-food biomass is associated with ecological benefits, including biodiversity enhancement in agriculture systems, pollinator attraction, improved soil quality and retention, re-valorizing degraded soils, and low requirement of freshwater and fertilizers. The project aims to produce cellulose-based yarns and fabrics with better recyclability, as well as bio-based additives and composites, targeting the textile and biochemical sectors. It innovates by using underexploited feedstock and an efficient extraction-separation process for maximum resource valorization. This approach significantly addresses the textile industry’s negative environmental impact, reducing virgin raw material, water/land use, pollution. By developing a low-energy, low-chemical circular biorefinery and enhancing recycling, HALO-TEX creates innovative value chain and sustainable model to advance the circular bioeconomy and foster socio-economic opportunities.
Presenter
Elena MERLI
Tecnotex, ITALY
Presenter's biography
I am Elena Merli and I am working as a researcher at Next Technology Tecnotessile, a private research centre, for the past three years. I am primarily involved in the implementation and reporting of technical activities within European and national projects.
Biographies and Short introductive summaries are supplied directly by presenters and are published here unedited
Co-authors:
D. Spinelli, Tecnotex, Prato, ITALY
I. Canesi, Tecnotex, Prato, ITALY
T. Nieri, Tecnotex, Prato, ITALY
M. Maccanti, Tecnotex, Prato, ITALY
Session reference: 3CV.4.27