Bäumlin & Ernst AG further processing Empa’s PFAS-free yarn

Bäumlin & Ernst AG (beag) from the canton of St.Gallen in Switzerland has presented its latest product development. According to a press release from the company, for this achievement, it benefited from an innovative process developed at Empa in which beag was involved along with the textile companies Lothos KLG and AG Cilander.

Empa researcher Dirk Hegemann from the Advanced Fibers laboratory in St.Gallen was able to develop a plasma coating procedure for environmentally friendly textiles without using PFAS, which are also known as forever chemicals which either do not biodegrade at all or do not do so readily. The plasma coating is twice as water repellent as PFAS impregnation and also remains at a high level for longer on elastic yarns.

These fibers with hydrophobic properties are then further processed by beag into functional yarns with high elasticity, thus proving that this laboratory research can be scaled to efficient, economically viable industrial processes. According to beag, the textiles produced in this way are washable and water repellent over the long term. They air-dry very quickly after sport, making them comfortable to wear. The next phase is to put into operation a pilot plant in Toggenburg, also in the canton of St.Gallen, where beag also plans to develop technical and medical applications. ce/mm