{"id":5443,"date":"2025-06-24T07:01:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T06:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/?page_id=5443"},"modified":"2025-11-14T17:45:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T17:45:56","slug":"fastex","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/fastex\/","title":{"rendered":"FasTEX"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"5443\" class=\"elementor elementor-5443\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-731d9db elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"731d9db\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0723f12\" data-id=\"0723f12\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4f304d9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4f304d9\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-343fd9e\" data-id=\"343fd9e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5d2c64 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d5d2c64\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"174\" src=\"https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/thread-banner-1024x174.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3947\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/thread-banner-1024x174.png 1024w, https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/thread-banner-300x51.png 300w, https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/thread-banner-768x131.png 768w, https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/thread-banner-1536x261.png 1536w, https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/thread-banner-2048x348.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ef80504 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ef80504\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">An Impact Innovation Funded Project<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7ca8b05 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7ca8b05\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c6bb2b1\" data-id=\"c6bb2b1\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c304f00 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c304f00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/LCA-no-circle-1024x1024.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2878\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/LCA-no-circle-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/LCA-no-circle-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/LCA-no-circle-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/LCA-no-circle-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/LCA-no-circle.png 1240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b988609 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b988609\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Priority Area:\u00a0<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c943401 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c943401\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>Beyond Lifecycle Analysis<\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-55fc5af\" data-id=\"55fc5af\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-12eb336 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"12eb336\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">FasTEX: FAST identification of TEXtile fibres by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and machine learning (ML)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-90de277 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"90de277\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Textile pollution, particularly from microfibres released during washing or wearing clothes, is a growing environmental concern. To understand and address this issue, researchers must be able to rapidly identify the different types of fibres present in environmental samples. This requires knowing what the fibres are made of. However, current methods for determining fibre composition are slow, and often rely on human judgment, which can lead to inconsistency.<\/p><p>This project aims to revolutionise how textile fibres are identified by using a combination of infrared spectroscopy and artificial intelligence. By training machine learning models to recognise different fibre types from their chemical signatures, the process can be made faster, more reliable, and fully automated.<\/p><p>The result will be a powerful new tool that speeds up fibre analysis. FasTEX will support more accurate and efficient studies of textile shedding and microfibre pollution, helping researchers and policymakers better understand where harmful fibres are coming from and how to reduce their environmental impact.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7f114c3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7f114c3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9979dbf\" data-id=\"9979dbf\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a0f524c elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"a0f524c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1701\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/impactplusnetwork\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f1010f3\" data-id=\"f1010f3\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8729324 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8729324\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2><strong>Dr. Matteo Gallidabino<\/strong><\/h2><h3><strong>Lecturer in Forensic Chemistry<\/strong><\/h3><p>Matteo is an Assistant Professor in Forensic Chemistry at King`s College London (UK). Having obtained his PhD from the University of Lausanne, his highly inter-disciplinary research focuses on the analysis of chemical and trace evidence.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fef7cc9 e-grid-align-left elementor-shape-rounded elementor-grid-0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-social-icons\" data-id=\"fef7cc9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"social-icons.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-social-icons-wrapper elementor-grid\" role=\"list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-grid-item\" role=\"listitem\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-icon elementor-social-icon elementor-social-icon-linkedin elementor-repeater-item-202062f\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/matteo-gallidabino-47100236\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-screen-only\">Linkedin<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fab fa-linkedin\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-grid-item\" role=\"listitem\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-icon elementor-social-icon elementor-social-icon-orcid elementor-repeater-item-04c0d3f\" href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7871-9793\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-screen-only\">Orcid<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fab fa-orcid\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-grid-item\" role=\"listitem\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-icon elementor-social-icon elementor-social-icon-globe elementor-repeater-item-dfee448\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/people\/matteo-gallidabino\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-screen-only\">Globe<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-globe\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8a288ab elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8a288ab\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0e28108\" data-id=\"0e28108\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-1a562184 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1a562184\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-2bf79e30\" data-id=\"2bf79e30\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-17336e64 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"17336e64\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Name of Lead Applicant:<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Job Title:<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Organisation:<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Additional Team Members:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-3fa825d\" data-id=\"3fa825d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7f4488c3 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7f4488c3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Dr Matteo Gallidabino<\/p><p>Lecturer in Forensic Chemistry<\/p><p>King\u2019s College London<\/p><p>N\/A<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7e85fca elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7e85fca\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5f277b7\" data-id=\"5f277b7\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4c913223 elementor-widget elementor-widget-toggle\" data-id=\"4c913223\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"toggle.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toggle\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toggle-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1281\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1281\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon elementor-toggle-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-caret-right\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened\"><i class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened fas fa-caret-up\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-toggle-title\" tabindex=\"0\">VISION<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1281\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1281\"><div class=\"flex-shrink-0 flex flex-col relative items-end\">\n<div class=\"pt-0\">\n<div class=\"gizmo-bot-avatar flex h-8 w-8 items-center justify-center overflow-hidden rounded-full\">\n<div class=\"relative p-1 rounded-sm flex items-center justify-center bg-token-main-surface-primary text-token-text-primary h-8 w-8\">\n<p>At present, the characterisation of textile fibres in environmental samples involves multiple manual and time-consuming steps. The process typically begins with fibre recovery, followed by morphological and chemical analysis using sequential techniques such as high-power light microscopy (HPM), polarised light microscopy (PLM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. While accurate, this workflow is labour-intensive and subject to interpretative bias due to human involvement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FasTEX<\/strong> (FAST identification of TEXtile fibres using FTIR and machine learning) aims to address this by developing an AI-assisted workflow capable of automating the interpretation of FTIR spectra for textile fibre identification and characterisation. By integrating chemometric and machine learning (ML) approaches, the project seeks to accelerate fibre analysis, improve consistency, and ultimately lay the foundations for a standardised, high-throughput method suitable for environmental monitoring and regulatory purposes.<\/p>\n<p>This is a novel and timely opportunity to apply AI tools in a practical, interdisciplinary context, bridging material science, environmental chemistry, and forensic analysis.<\/p>\n<p>This short-term, high-impact project will build a solid foundation for future applications in regulatory science, environmental monitoring, sustainable textile development, and academic-industry partnerships focused on textile circularity and pollution prevention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toggle-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1282\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1282\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon elementor-toggle-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-caret-right\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened\"><i class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened fas fa-caret-up\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-toggle-title\" tabindex=\"0\">APPROACH<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1282\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1282\"><div class=\"flex-shrink-0 flex flex-col relative items-end\"><div class=\"pt-0\"><div class=\"gizmo-bot-avatar flex h-8 w-8 items-center justify-center overflow-hidden rounded-full\"><div class=\"relative p-1 rounded-sm flex items-center justify-center bg-token-main-surface-primary text-token-text-primary h-8 w-8\"><p>This project will focus on four interlinked objectives:<\/p><ol><li><strong>Establish a curated spectral database of textile fibres<\/strong>: we will collect and catalogue FTIR spectra from a diverse selection of textile fibres using three reference collections. Spectral acquisition will be carried out and measurements will be performed on fibre tuffs. Spectra will be collected across the mid-infrared range and stored alongside structured metadata to ensure traceability and reusability.<\/li><li><strong>Develop and test an initial machine learning classification model<\/strong>: using this spectral dataset, we will explore a range of supervised machine learning algorithms. Models will be tuned using cross-validation with resampling strategies, aiming to maximise classification accuracy while maintaining generalisability.<\/li><li><strong>Demonstrate method performance on test samples<\/strong>: the trained model will be evaluated using a small set of textile fibres obtained from garments of known composition. We will also explore potential sources of misclassification (e.g. overlapping spectral features, mixed fibre content) to identify key areas for improvement.<\/li><li><strong>Define next steps for tool refinement and broader application<\/strong>: building on the results of this proof-of-concept study, we will critically assess the limitations of the current approach and propose concrete avenues for improvement.<\/li><\/ol><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toggle-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1283\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"3\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1283\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon elementor-toggle-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-caret-right\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened\"><i class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened fas fa-caret-up\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-toggle-title\" tabindex=\"0\">IMPACT<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1283\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"3\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1283\"><p>This is a novel and timely opportunity to apply AI tools in a practical, interdisciplinary context, bridging materials science, environmental chemistry, and forensic analysis. FasTEX aligns strongly with the IMPACT+ vision by:<\/p><ul><li>Moving beyond traditional life cycle analysis, offering tools that can support environmental research and pollution mitigation post-consumer use.<\/li><li>Contributing to transparent pathways by reducing subjectivity in fibre identification and supporting data reproducibility.<\/li><li>Strengthening circular knowledge systems, as the models and spectral libraries developed could be shared and reused across research and policy contexts.<\/li><\/ul><p>This short-term, high-impact project will build a solid foundation for future applications in regulatory science, environmental monitoring, sustainable textile development, and academic-industry partnerships focused on textile circularity and pollution prevention.<\/p><p>Insights from this project will also support the development of future research proposals aimed at scaling the method to FTIR microscopy and environmental monitoring applications, contributing to standardisation efforts in microfibre analysis and informing data-driven sustainability initiatives across the fashion and textile value chain.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f9cebb1 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2f9cebb1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Expected start date: <\/span><\/b>15 July 2025\u00a0<\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\"><b>Expected end date: <\/b>15 December 2025<\/span><\/p><p><b style=\"font-style: inherit;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Project duration: <\/span><\/b>5<span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">\u00a0months<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d9fcba6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"d9fcba6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An Impact Innovation Funded Project Priority Area:\u00a0 Beyond Lifecycle Analysis FasTEX: FAST identification of TEXtile fibres by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and machine learning (ML) Textile pollution, particularly from microfibres released during washing or wearing clothes, is a growing environmental concern. To understand and address this issue, researchers must be able to rapidly identify [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"unboxed","site-sidebar-style":"unboxed","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5443","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>FasTEX - IMPACT+<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The site is related to an research project funded by the UKRI Fashion and Textiles Circularity Programme: NetworkPlus, which focuses on the measurement of environmental impact in the fashion and textile industries. 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