Science Japanese company transforms bagworm moth silk into durable textile

Kowa Company (興和株式会社) has announced a breakthrough in textile technology, creating a remarkably durable and eco-friendly fabric from bagworm moth silk. The company plans to utilize this new textile, named Minolon, in various applications, including sporting goods, automobiles, and aircraft. Kowa collaborated with the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) to develop Minolon, leveraging NARO's expertise in silkworm research. Bagworm silk is renowned for its exceptional durability, surpassing even spider silk. Kowa and NARO bred millions of bagworms indoors, developing techniques to control their silk production year-round.

Sports equipment, such as golf clubs, skis, and rackets, should use plastic materials containing carbon fibres. Combining these fibres with bagworm silk sheets makes the products more durable. A bagworm silk product developed by a major sports equipment manufacturer will be released as soon as next month. Since the bagworm silk fibre production process doesn't emit carbon dioxide, Kowa plans to sell the textile as an eco-friendly material to automobile, aircraft and smartphone manufacturers. The company is considering producing textiles in Komaki, Aichi Prefecture, and investing tens of billions of yen.

Click to expand...

Link: