Breakthrough textile finishing solution Novara™ dramatically reduces energy costs by 85 per cent
European manufacturers can save €1 million per year as gas prices soar - with new finishing process from Cambridge innovator Alchemie Technology
The new Novara™ precision digital finishing solution from Alchemie Technology can help European textile manufacturers save €1 million a year and return to profitability – as energy prices surge across the continent.
Novara™ uses high velocity jetting technology to apply nano droplets of functional finishes, only where needed, on fabrics, using 85 per cent less energy and up to 50 per cent less chemistry compared to traditional methods.
Traditional textile finishing is an energy intensive process which applies liquid finishes by immersing the whole fabric in a chemical bath, adding ~80 per cent water by mass to the fabric which then needs to be dried.
EU gas prices soared throughout 2021 – and have risen even more sharply due to the conflict in Ukraine, which has sparked fresh concerns about global energy supplies. The European gas price has risen from €16 a year ago to over €115 per megawatt hour (MWh) on March 1 – peaking at €142 per MWh.
It requires over 2 kWh per kg of material to dry fabrics which have been through a padding bath. Alchemie estimates that spiralling gas costs have therefore increased the annual energy costs for a typical EU textile finishing operation by over €1 million a year.
Novara™ precision digital finishing is a low energy, single sided application system which enables functional finishes to be applied at up to 20x the concentration of traditional processes – with a more even application and higher quality. This results in energy savings of up to 85 per cent.
For an average European textile finisher, adopting Novara™ this would lead to an annual cost saving of €1 million a year.
There is also a significant sustainability benefit to the Novara system. The energy savings correspond to ~1 kg CO2/kg in reduced carbon emissions. The EU alone produces ~ 130,000 tonnes of technical textiles fabric per year. Switching to Novara™ technology would deliver a reduction of >100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Dr. Simon Kew, Managing Director of Alchemie Technology, said: “Energy costs are crippling the EU technical textiles industry – and the situation is getting rapidly worse. European gas prices have risen dramatically over the last year with those costs accelerating again and hitting EU manufacturers particularly hard. Many textile manufacturers are now struggling to survive because their supply contracts have now increased to reflect the recent energy price rises.
“Our Novara™ precision digital finishing technology can reduce energy costs by up to 85 per cent which can help technical textile finishing companies to return to profitability.
“The reduction in energy and chemistry consumption also has environmental benefits. As more EU manufacturers switch to Novara™ we can help to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the textile sector and contribute to reaching net zero across the industry.”
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About Alchemie Technology
Textile dyeing and finishing processes are some of the most polluting manufacturing processes on the planet and are responsible for over 3% of global CO2 emissions and over 20% of global water pollution.
To address this urgent issue, we have developed breakthrough digital dyeing and finishing technologies that deliver a dramatic reduction in energy consumption and eliminate contaminated wastewater emissions.
Our mission is to transform the textile industry with clean-tech digital manufacturing solutions that eliminate the environmental impact of these polluting processes.
Notes to editors: For further information, contact alchemietechnology@thephagroup.com or visit www.alchemietechnology.com.