Lava rock fabric is a material spun from basalt magma rock. Mineral basalt is mined, heated and extruded into filaments to create a thread-like material. It’s then woven into a material like a traditional textile.
Lava fabric is tough and rough, with a texture similar to raw wool. In its original form, wearing it was both uncomfortable and itchy, but research has shown that combining basalt fiber and polyamide yarn can create a skin friendly and highly fire-resistant fabric that could potentially be used as firefighter equipment.
The component basalt fiber is non biodegradable, but it is a natural and durable material. It has high strength, excellent mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and chemical stability, and will not release particulate matter into the environment.
Though the new material could be used as natural fire-resistant fabric for firefighter suits, as the current innovation stands, it still needs to be blended with synthetic materials for it to be wearable, which diminishes its overall sustainability.
Although this new material can be used as a natural fire-resistant fabric for firefighter uniforms, in terms of current innovation, it still needs to be mixed with synthetic materials to be worn and improve its overall sustainability.
