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Wool Factory Aragón Operational Group: Integration of sheep wool into polymer bases for industrial applications

  • Type Operational group
  • Status In progress
  • Execution 2025 -2028
  • Assigned Budget 150.000,00 €
  • Scope Autonómico
  • Autonomous community Aragón
  • Main source of financing CAP 2023-2027
Abstract
The aim is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of integrating sheep wool into polymer matrices to develop new composite materials with multiple industrial applications.
Description

The project aims to demonstrate the technical feasibility of integrating sheep's wool into polymer matrices to develop new composite materials with multiple industrial applications. By valorizing wool, an abundant and currently underutilized natural resource, the project will identify transformation processes that leverage its properties to improve the performance of polymeric materials, providing thermal and acoustic insulation, humidity regulation, durability, and antibacterial properties. The expected results will show that wool-based composites can be applied in sectors such as sustainable packaging, construction materials, and industrial insulation solutions, offering a biodegradable and more environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum-based materials. Furthermore, the use of wool as a raw material will contribute to reducing waste in the sheep farming sector, promoting the circular economy, and generating new value chains for this natural resource.

Description of activities
  • Development of wool-polymer composites. Testing the incorporation of wool in granular or pellet form to ensure proper dosage and compatibility with industrial polymer processing. Incorporation into different polymer matrices, evaluating various formulations and proportions to develop new composite materials with industrial applications.
  • Prototype fabrication: The selected formulations will be processed using polymer transformation technologies to obtain sheets and prototypes of wool-based biocomposites. The materials will be processed using polymer transformation technologies to obtain biocomposite prototypes that can be evaluated under conditions similar to those of their industrial use.
  • Characterization and validation of the material.
  • Evaluation of the physical, mechanical and functional properties of the developed materials to determine their viability and potential in industrial applications.
Contextual description

The growing demand for sustainable, high-performance materials has driven research into biocomposites that combine natural fibers with polymers. Wool, a renewable and biodegradable fiber, offers unique mechanical and thermal properties, but its integration into industrial polymer processes remains challenging due to compatibility, dosage, and processing issues. Traditional composites are often based on synthetic fibers, which are less environmentally friendly, creating a need for alternative solutions.

This project addresses these challenges by exploring the incorporation of wool in granular or pellet form into various polymer matrices, aiming to create materials that maintain industrial processability while improving sustainability. By developing wool-based biocomposites, the project aligns with global trends toward circular economy practices and environmentally friendly materials in manufacturing. The resulting composites have potential applications in diverse industries where lightweight, durable, and sustainable materials are required, bridging the gap between the properties of natural fibers and industrial performance standards.

Objectives

The project aims to valorize sheep's wool by incorporating it into polymer bases to develop materials with industrial applications. It focuses on leveraging this currently underutilized natural resource, promoting its use as a sustainable raw material, reducing waste from the sheep sector, and generating new products within a circular economy framework.

Contact information
  • Entity name: Franco y Navarro SA
  • Postal address: Avd. Cesáreo Alierta, 45 esc.5ª 1ºK, 50.0008 Zaragoza
  • Email: fyn@francosa.com
  • Telephone: 976590956

  • Entity name: COTEGA SCL (Teruel Livestock Cooperative Society)
  • Postal address: Calle Luis Buñuel Nº 33 - 44002 TERUEL.
  • Email: address@oviaragon.com
  • Telephone: 976138050

  • Name of entity: Agri-food Research and Technology Centre of Aragon (CITA)
  • Postal address: Avda. Montañana 930, 50059, Zaragoza
  • Email: jgonzalez@cita-aragon.es
  • Telephone: 976713067
Coordinators
  • Franco y Navarro S.A.
Beneficiaries
  • COTEGA SCL (Sociedad Cooperativa Teruel Ganadera)
  • Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA)