Algae Shines Bright on our Clothing

We all know that traditional fabric dyes are toxic (heavy metals, synthetic chemicals) and wasteful (by-waste, and run-off). In the past couple of years, this problem has posed serious environmental issues in the textile industry. In the last year alone, prices on fabrics have risen due to efforts to mitigate environmental pollution in China.

Well fear not, help is on the way. British scientists and researchers at Oxford University have developed a way to color fabric with algae. The single-celled algae organisms, called diatoms, are composed of tiny little iridescent shells. Depending on the porous nature, these silica based shells reflect different colors that remain constant over time.

“As the paint dries, they will all align themselves horizontally at the surface, all reflecting light the same way,” said Andrew Parker, of Oxford to Wired Magazine. “So, even though you have completely transparent paint and completely transparent silica shells, they will produce a very strong color.” Thus color is created naturally without having to rely on any environmentally harmful synthetic chemicals.