Green fibers, blue microalgae: a scoping review of spirulina in the textile industry

Abstract

The global textile industry is under increasing pressure to transition toward sustainable, circular models to mitigate the environmental impact of synthetic dyes and petrochemical-derived fibers. Spirulina has emerged as a highly promising, renewable bio-factory capable of producing bioactive pigments, such as C-phycocyanin, and functional biopolymers. This scoping review systematically maps the current state of the art in the use of Spirulina in the textile sector, bridging the gap between bioprocess engineering and materials science. Furthermore, the review evaluates the applications of Spirulina-derived compounds in textile dyeing and functional finishing, imparting antioxidant, antimicrobial, and other properties, as well as the development of bio-synthetic fibers. While the potential of Spirulina is vast, critical bottlenecks such as washing fastness, thermal stability of pigments, and processing scalability must be addressed. By synthesizing existing research, this work identifies key knowledge gaps and proposes future research directions to facilitate the industrial integration of microalgal biotechnology into sustainable textile manufacturing.