The purpose of the thesis was the development of artificial leather from waste plant material using a process that does not include synthetic compounds and is the least harmful to the environment. The waste plant materials used to make artificial leather were staghorn sumac leaves, avocado pits, pomegranate peels and Japanese knotweed rhizomes. The production of artificial leather included the preparation of a plant extract, the addition of thickener, plasticizer and textiles. The study investigated the influence of various factors, including the use of unfiltered and filtered plant extract, three types of thickeners (100% agar, agar-maltodextrin mixture (30/70), and sodium alginate), different drying temperatures (room temperature, 50 °C, and 70 °C), and the incorporation of textiles, on the final composite (artificial leather). Additives such as chitosan and ground eggshell were also used in attempts to make an agar-based composite. The addition of textiles was studied in order to increase the stability of the composite. The textiles used included cotton fabric, lyocell fabric, and ground waste hemp fiber. The durability of the composites in water, the resistance to detergents and shrinkage were also determined. A larger format of the composite was made from the most optimal recipe. The material was composed of a filtered extract of pomegranate peels, glycerine, sodium alginate, and a textile base made of mercerized cotton fabric. To demonstrate the usefulness of the new material, a small bag was made following the principles of designing and manufacturing leather products.
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