Yiqi Yang is a chemical engineer whose career has led him to focus on bio-based polymers, developing ways to create textile fibers from agricultural byproducts and wastes such as corn husks and chicken feathers.
“So we work on all these agricultural byproducts and wastes, trying to figure out which one will be the best for textiles," Yang said. "Using the waste, of course, makes sense for us. Number one, we can add values to agricultural products, and number two, it’s better for the environment because these things are grown anyway for food. So we’re not going to use extra water, extra land, extra efforts. They are there for us to use.”
Yang also sees this circular bioeconomy of converting agricultural waste to textile fibers as an opportunity for the state of Nebraska to be an innovative leader in the textiles industry.
Watch his full interview:
College of Education and Human Sciences
Textiles, Merchandising & Fashion Design
