Spindle of light: solar-powered pressurised spinning for sustainable fibre production
- 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
Abstract
A sustainable alternative to current fibre manufacturing methods is proposed, featuring a portable, solar-powered, pressurised spinning system that integrates a smart battery and a photovoltaic charger, thereby avoiding grid dependence and reducing energy usage. Decoupling motor operation from the grid with an intelligent battery buffer that maximises thermodynamic efficiency, a comparative analysis of the innovation with the traditional grid-powered pressurised spinning system is conducted. By converting solar energy into mechanical work, the system enables decentralised manufacturing of soft materials. This off-grid innovation enables decentralised manufacturing of soft functional materials, resulting in a 31.8% reduction in energy usage compared to traditional pressurised spinning methods, consuming 21 W to maintain 11,000 rpm, thereby defining a new era in fibre manufacturing with ultra-low energy consumption of 0.175 Wh per 30-second cycle. Furthermore, the system demonstrated a maximum battery runtime of 4.29 hours and maintained the fibre yield around 70%. resulting in a zero operational carbon emissions and energy costs, since energy is harvested from the sun.
Related
- Towards Sustainable Regenerated Cellulose Fibres: A Review of Conventional Spinning Technologies and Advancing Ionic Liquid-DMSO Solvent Systems.
- Sustainable production of pure nanocrystalline cellulose (NCCs) as a binder for enhanced aspirin tablets: Valorization of palm kernel waste
- Bridging waste-derived carbon catalyst innovation and machine learning for sustainable biodiesel production: a comprehensive review.
- Integrating microbial fermentation and polymerization for sustainable polylactic acid production.
- Fractal-Inspired Biorefineries for Sustainable Polymer Production: A Conceptual Framework Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Industry 5.0
BibTeX
@article{aydogdu2026spindle,
title = {{Spindle of light: solar-powered pressurised spinning for sustainable fibre production}},
author = {Mehmet Onur Aydoğdu and Mohan J. Edirisinghe},
journal = {Applied Energy},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.1016/j.apenergy.2026.128062},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2026.128062},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Spindle of light: solar-powered pressurised spinning for sustainable fibre production
AU - Mehmet Onur Aydoğdu
AU - Mohan J. Edirisinghe
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/31
JO - Applied Energy
DO - 10.1016/j.apenergy.2026.128062
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2026.128062
AB - A sustainable alternative to current fibre manufacturing methods is proposed, featuring a portable, solar-powered, pressurised spinning system that integrates a smart battery and a photovoltaic charger, thereby avoiding grid dependence and reducing energy usage. Decoupling motor operation from the grid with an intelligent battery buffer that maximises thermodynamic efficiency, a comparative analysis of the innovation with the traditional grid-powered pressurised spinning system is conducted. By converting solar energy into mechanical work, the system enables decentralised manufacturing of soft materials. This off-grid innovation enables decentralised manufacturing of soft functional materials, resulting in a 31.8% reduction in energy usage compared to traditional pressurised spinning methods, consuming 21 W to maintain 11,000 rpm, thereby defining a new era in fibre manufacturing with ultra-low energy consumption of 0.175 Wh per 30-second cycle. Furthermore, the system demonstrated a maximum battery runtime of 4.29 hours and maintained the fibre yield around 70%. resulting in a zero operational carbon emissions and energy costs, since energy is harvested from the sun.
SN - 0306-2619
SN - 1872-9118
ER -