Abstract—The silk textile industry produces high volumes of
wastewater during the degumming process, which removes
sericin, a water-soluble protein coating raw silk fibres. Most of
this sericin is currently lost in effluents, with limited reuse for
cosmetics and biomedical solutions. Given the promising results
of sericin in promoting seed germination, enhancing plant
growth, and improving tolerance to abiotic stress, this study
explores its novel agricultural application by assessing the
recovery and reuse of sericin as a biostimulant in lettuce
cultivation. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle
Costing (LCC) studies are conducted to evaluate the
environmental and economic feasibility of three scenarios, using
1 kg of lettuce as the functional unit. The first scenario reflects
the current system: wastewater is treated conventionally, and
lettuce is grown using standard methods. In the second scenario,
sericin is concentrated via ultrafiltration to a 5% w/v solution,
then stabilised, diluted, transported, and applied to crops. The
third scenario proposes a simplified route: the degumming
wastewater is diluted and directly applied to the field, bypassing
other processing steps. Findings reveal that the third scenario
achieves the best results both in terms of environmental
performance and economic viability, showing a 40%
improvement over the second scenario on selected impact
indicators. Sensitivity analysis confirms its benefits within a
reasonable transport distance. Beyond replacing wastewater
treatment, this approach converts a waste stream into an
agricultural resource, aligning with circular economy principles.
The study also highlights the processes that contribute most to
overall impacts and demonstrates the potential of sericin
valorisation as a sustainable solution in the agricultural sector.
Keywords—sustainability, circular economy, life cycle
assessment, life cycle costing, Sericin, wastewater treatment,
agriculture
Cite: Claudio Capuzzimati, Valentina Buzzi Franzoso, Marzio Sorlini, Stefano Corsi, and Giovanni Bergna, "Valorisation of Silk Textile Industry Wastewater for Sustainable Agriculture: Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing of Sericin Biostimulant Application in Lettuce Cultivation," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 39-47, 2026.
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).