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6. BioFabricating Materials

References & Inspiration

Coffee Bio-Leather Bag by Fabtextiles

I really like the Coffee Bio-Leather bag made by Fabtextiles from coffee powder and alginate.

Test serie bio-leather with Alginate and fruit or vegetable waste

Using waste as an ingredient to make a new object, a subjet I am very interested in. I explored the reuse of waste with a recipe based on alginate which is quite resistant to water and heat.

Material

* 2g fruit or vegetable skin powder
* 5g Glycerol
* 33 ml water
* 2g Alginate
* 10% Calcium Chloride Solution
* 2g olive oil

* a precision balance
* a beaker
* a mixer
* a sieve

Methode

* Dry the fruit or vegetable skin flat in a dehumidifier
* Mix the fruit or vegetable peel and sieve it to recover the powder

* Weigh and mix all ingredients
* Pour onto a surface and let stand for 5 minutes
* Spray calcium chloride solution on both sides
* Wait 5 minutes before rinsing with water
* Let dry horizontally

I decided to also test with larger pieces of fruit or vegetable skins.

Results and Discussion

Alginate + avocado skin powder

Alginate + coarse avocado skin

Alginate + coarse avocado skin + coloring powder

Alginate + potato peel powder

Alginate + coarse potato peel

Alginate + banana peel powder

Alginate + coarse banana peel

I really like the finished look of the bag made from coffee by Fabtextiles. That's why I chose the recipe with alginate. I tested different vegetable skins and two different granulometries. Surprisingly, I preferred the versions with grain. Especially the version with the banana peel.

TEST SERIE BIO-PLASTIC - Casein

Casein is an animal protein present at 80% in milk which has plastic properties. It is used as an additive in paints, glues, papers, food products and cosmetics.

Cow's milk casein precipitates as a large clot either by lowering the pH of the solution or by enzymatic action (pressure).

Material

* Casein powder
* Vinegar
* Glycerol
* Water

* a precision balance
* a 10 ml beaker
* a graduated plastic pipette
* a tiny bowl
* a stirrer

Tiny tools

Methode

I wanted to vary the amount of each ingredient and their order of appearance to see their impact on the final product.

35 Tests
Test Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Material pic
T1 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 10 ml of water to the bowl Add 1 to 3 ml of vinegar depending on the gelation obtained
T2 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 1 to 3 ml of vinegar depending on the gelation obtained
T3 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 10 ml of water to the bowl Add 1 to 3 ml of vinegar quickly depending on the gelation obtained
T4 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 5 ml of glycerol and 5 ml of water and mix Add 1 to 3 ml of vinegar quickly depending on the gelation obtained
T5 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 5 ml of water to the bowl Add 1 to 3 ml of vinegar quickly depending on the gelation obtained Add 5 ml of glycerol and mix
T6 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 10 ml of water to the bowl Place the bowl in a water bath Filter the mixture
T7 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 10 ml of water to the bowl Place the bowl in a water bath Filter the mixture Add 5 ml of glycerol and mix
T8 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 6 ml of glycerol and mix Place the bowl in a water bath
T9 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 6 ml of glycerol and mix Add 1 to 3 ml of vinegar quickly depending on the gelation obtained
T10 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 5 ml of water to the bowl and mix Add 1 to 3 ml of vinegar quickly depending on the gelation obtained Add 6 ml of glycerol and mix
T11 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 4 ml of water to the bowl and mix Add 1 to 3 ml of vinegar quickly depending on the gelation obtained Add 4 ml of glycerol and mix
T12 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 5 ml of water to the bowl and mix Add 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained Add 4 ml of glycerol and mix
T13 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 5 ml of water to the bowl and mix 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained Add 4 ml of glycerol and mix
T14 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 7 ml of water to the bowl 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained Add 2 ml of glycerol and mix
T15 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 6 ml of water to the bowl 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained Add 2 ml of glycerol and mix
T16 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 2 ml of water and 4 ml of glycerol to the bowl Mix 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained
T17 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 7 ml of water 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained Add 4 ml of glycerol and mix
T18 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 6 ml of water 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained Add 3 ml of glycerol and mix
T19 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 6 ml of water 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained
T20 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 7 ml of water 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained Add 1 ml of glycerol and mix
T21 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 5 ml of water 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained Add 6 ml of glycerol and mix
T22 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 2 ml of water and 4 ml of glycerol 1 to 3 ml of vinegar quickly depending on the gelation obtained
T23 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 3 ml of water and 3 ml of glycerol 1 to 3 ml of vinegar quickly depending on the gelation obtained
T24 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 4 ml of water and 2 ml of glycerol 1 to 3 ml of vinegar quickly depending on the gelation obtained
T25 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 5 ml of water and 1 ml of glycerol
T26 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 6 ml of water 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained Add 1 ml of glycerol
T27 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 10 ml of water 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained Add 1 ml of glycerol
T28 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 3 ml of water and 3 ml of glycerol 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained
T29 =T16 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 2 ml of water and 4 ml of glycerol 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained
T30 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 11 ml of water 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained Add 1 ml of glycerol
T31 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 15 ml of water 1 to 3 ml of vinegar slowly depending on the gelation obtained Add 1 ml of glycerol
T32 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 7 ml of water 1 to 3 ml of vinegar quickly depending on the gelation obtained Add 2 ml of glycerol
T33 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 2 ml of water and 4 ml of glycerol 1 to 3 ml of vinegar quickly depending on the gelation obtained Add 3 g of eggshell
T34 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 10 ml of water 1 to 3 ml of vinegar quickly depending on the gelation obtained Add 1 ml of glycerol Add 3 g of eggshell
T35 Weigh 2g of casein in a tiny bowl Add 3 ml of water and 3 ml of glycerol 1 to 3 ml of vinegar quickly depending on the gelation obtained Add 3 g of eggshell

Results and Discussion

T3

T4

T5

T11

T12

T14
Foamy Spongy (still wet) Foamy. Harder than T3 Solid paste Solid paste Crumbly paste

T15

T16

T20

T23

T24

T25
Foamy and quite hard Smooth surface White and smooth surface Smooth surface Granular surface. hard Granular surface. hard

T26

T27

T28

T30

T31

T32
Granular surface. Foamy and fragile Smooth surface. Slightly foamy Smooth surface and hard Smooth surface and hard Foamy and smooth surface Slightly foamy

T33

T34

T35
Very honeycombed and very fragile. Foamy Foamy Slightly foamy

After drying of all these tests, some of them give foamy bioplastics from spongy to solid. However they are all quite fragile. The acidification of the mixture in the last step allows to have a smooth surface of the bioplastic.

Terminology

Plastics: materials that contain as an essential ingredient a high polymer and which at some stage in their processing into finished products can be casted or moulded.

bio-based plastics: plastics derived from biomass that means nonfossilized and biodegradable organic material originating from plants, animals and micro-organisms.

References

Casein

Recipes

To explore later

Printing Architecture Innovative Recipes for 3D Printing - book with recipes

Clay extruder on thingiverse

Last update: 2023-05-04