7. BioFabricating Materials

Research

What Are Biomaterials?

Biomaterials are organic, naturally-derived materials that can be sustainably sourced and processed. Unlike synthetic materials, biomaterials work with nature to create eco-friendly alternatives, reducing waste and environmental impact. 🌍🌿

In this class, we’ll focus on understanding and crafting with biomaterials to replace current, unsustainable materials like plastics. By leveraging local resources and traditional techniques, we aim to foster a more circular approach to design and production.

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🌾 Week’s Goals

1. Explore Sustainable Resources
   Uncover the potential of local, natural materials and assess how they can be used as viable alternatives.

2. Bridge Craftsmanship & Technology
   Blend traditional craftsmanship with modern technology to refine these resources into usable, eco-friendly materials.

3. Develop New Products and Techniques
   Prototype a sample material or product using these biomaterials, with an emphasis on sustainability and creativity. Document the process, from initial idea to final product, for future inspiration. 💡🌿

References & Inspiration

In my research on sustainable design, I explored inspiring projects that focus on eco-friendly materials and zero-waste concepts. 🌱

Experimenting with Gelatine Foam

For Biofabrication Week, our team took our first steps into bioplastic creation by experimenting with Gelatine Foam from the Bioplastic Cook Book. We chose this recipe because it seemed manageable and gave us the chance to explore using everyday ingredients to create a sustainable, flexible material. You can see the necessary ingredients and recipe instructions in the image provided. Below, we’ll walk through each step of the process in detail, along with our experiences and reflections.

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Ingredients

To make the gelatine foam, we used:

• Gelatine - 45ml (for flexible foam)
• Glycerine - 15g
• Water - 60ml
• Liquid Soap - 6ml

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Additional Tools

• Whisk (to create foam by dispersing air into the mixture)
• Pot (for heating)
• Wooden frame (to mold the bioplastic)
• Non-stick surface (to pour and shape the foam)

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Step-by-Step Process

1. Preparing the Ingredients First, we measured out each ingredient carefully:

2. 45ml of gelatine for a flexible foam consistency. We adjusted the recipe by changing the gelatin measurement from milliliters to grams, as we only had gelatin in a solid form rather than liquid.

3. 15g of glycerine, which adds elasticity to the foam.

4. 60ml of water as the main solvent.

5. 6ml of liquid soap, which acts as a surfactant to help trap air bubbles in the foam.

1. Mixing and Heating We poured the water, gelatine, and glycerine into a pot. We stirred the mixture until the gelatine was fully dissolved. We noticed that as the gelatine dissolved, the solution began to thicken slightly.

1. Adding the Soap Once the mixture started to thicken, we added the 6ml of liquid soap. This was a crucial step because the soap introduces surfactant properties, which help trap air within the mixture. After adding the soap, we whisked the mixture vigorously to create foam. This step took some patience, as we had to keep whisking to make sure the air was evenly distributed and the foam was stable.

2. Preparing the Mold To give our bioplastic foam some shape, we set up a wooden frame on a non-stick surface. The frame allowed us to keep the foam contained in a rectangular shape.

3. Pouring and Shaping Once we were happy with the consistency of the foam, we poured it into the frame. We spread it out as evenly as possible.

Agar-Agar Film 🍃

For our second experiment, we reached out to ChatGPT and got an exciting recipe to try! With its guidance, we decided to make an agar-agar film, which can be flexible or hard based on the concentration. Here’s how we did it!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 g agar-agar powder
• 100 ml water
• Optional: 1 tsp coffee grounds (for added color/texture)

Steps:

• Boil the Water
  Bring the water to a boil. This will help the agar-agar dissolve properly.

• Add Agar-Agar
  Slowly add the agar-agar powder to the boiling water, stirring constantly until it’s fully dissolved.

• Add Optional Texture
  For a unique look, we added coffee grounds to the mixture, giving the film a natural color and texture.

• Pour and Set
  We poured the mixture onto a flat surface (like a glass or silicone tray) to let it spread evenly.

• Drying Process
  We let it sit for 12–24 hours to cool and dry. During this time, the mixture solidifies into a thin, flexible film.

Note: The texture and flexibility of the film can vary, so it’s fun to experiment with different agar-agar concentrations!

Check out the photo below to see how both experiments turned out! 👇

Alginic Acid Gel Recipe 🌱

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Ingredients

• 200 ml water
• 4 g alginate powder
• 8 ml glycerin (for flexibility)
• Optional Additive: Customize with extra ingredients like colorants or textures!

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Instructions

• Prepare the Water Base
  We started by measuring out 200 ml of water. This will be the base of our alginate mixture.

• Add Alginate Powder
  Next, we added 4 g of alginate powder to the water. Stir thoroughly until the powder is completely dissolved. It might take a little time, but keep mixing to avoid clumps.

• Incorporate Glycerin
  For flexibility, we added 8 ml of glycerin into the alginate solution. This makes the final gel softer and more bendable.

• Customize with Additives (Optional)
  Here, you can get creative! We added some color for visual effect, but you could try textures or other fun additions. Make sure everything is well mixed.

• Pouring and Shaping We poured it into the frame, we spread it out as evenly as possible.

This was a super fun experiment to learn about biofabrication! 🌿

So, for this experiment, I decided to use a leaf in the biofilm mixture. I poured the alginate mix into the frame and then gently placed a leaf on top, hoping it would leave a cool pattern when it dried. After it set, I peeled the leaf off, and, well... the result was definitely interesting! You can see in the photo that it captured some of the leaf’s veins and shape, which gave it this textured, organic look.

Honestly, it didn’t turn out exactly as I’d imagined, but that’s all part of the fun! I’m learning that the process is just as exciting as the final product. This wasn’t perfect, but it was a really cool way to play around with nature’s patterns and see what’s possible with biofabrication. Sometimes it’s all about experimenting and enjoying whatever results come out of it!

Here's what it looks like after 3 days of drying.

Next Day Experimenting with Gelatine Foam 🎨

For my next experiment, I decided to double the recipe for Gelatine Foam and add some color to make the results even more interesting. I also experimented with increasing the gelatine amount in a second batch to see if it would change the texture. Here’s what I used:

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Ingredients

To make the gelatine foam, I used:

• Gelatine - 90g (for flexible foam, doubled for larger batch)
• Glycerine - 30g
• Water - 120ml
• Liquid Soap - 12ml
• Coloring - a few drops (to experiment with color variations)

For the second batch, I increased the gelatine even more to see how it would affect the texture.

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Process

I followed the same basic steps with some creative twists:

1. Mixing: Combined the gelatine with water in a pot and heated it over medium heat until the gelatine fully dissolved.
2. Adding Glycerine: Stirred in the glycerine to keep the foam flexible.
3. Adding Color: Added a few drops of color to the mixture, experimenting with different shades for a more dynamic, vibrant look.
4. Foaming: Whisked the mixture vigorously with the liquid soap to create a thick, colorful foam.
5. Pouring: Carefully poured the colored, foamy mixture into a frame, spreading it evenly for drying.

For the second batch, I added even more gelatine to the mix, hoping it would create a thicker, stronger foam.

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Observations

The colors made a huge difference! The foam looked so much more vibrant and engaging. The first batch had a beautiful, flexible texture with bright colors that popped, making the experiment feel more artistic and unique.

With the second batch, the extra gelatine created a thicker, more durable foam, and the blue color looked even richer and deeper. The added gelatine gave the foam more structure, which was great for creating a denser, more substantial material. Overall, the experiment turned out amazing and showed how both the quantity of ingredients and the addition of color can completely transform the outcome. 🎨✨

I'm really enjoying these experiments and can’t wait to try even more variations!

Here's what it looks like after 3 days of drying.

📜 Alginate String

We created Alginate String using sodium alginate, water, and calcium chloride. It was a fun project! 🎨✨

Materials Used

• Sodium Alginate: 10 grams
• Water: 400 milliliters
• Calcium Chloride: 40 grams
• Tools: Mixing bowl, thin nozzle (syringe/dropper), rinsing water

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Prepared the Alginate Emulsion 🥄

Mixed: We combined 400 mL of water with 10 grams of sodium alginate in a bowl and stirred until smooth.

• Made Calcium Chloride Solution 🧪

Dissolved: In a separate container, we mixed 40 grams of calcium chloride in 400 mL of water to create a 10% solution. We also added a few drops of color to the mixture.

• Created the Strings 💧

Drew and Dropped: We used a nozzle to draw up the alginate solution and released it into the calcium chloride bath.

• Solidified the Threads ⏱️

Set: The threads were left in the solution for 5 minutes to solidify.

• Rinsed the Threads 🚿

Rinsed: We removed the strings and rinsed them in clean water to eliminate excess calcium chloride.

• Dried the Strings 🌬️

Stretched and Dried: We gently stretched the strings and allowed them to air dry completely.

We successfully created Alginate Strings! 🎉 We look forward to using them for our creative projects!

Here's what it looks like after 3 days of drying.

🍃 Growing Kombucha

Karkade (Hibiscus) Kombucha Recipe

This guide shares the steps Christina and I followed to brew 5 liters of kombucha with karkade (hibiscus) for a tangy twist and beautiful color.

Ingredients

• Tea: 10-12 bags of black or green tea (or 20-25 grams loose leaf, ~4-5 tbsp)
• Karkade (Hibiscus): 10-15 grams dried karkade flowers (~3-4 tbsp) or 5 hibiscus tea bags
• Sugar: 500 grams
• White Vinegar: 100 milliliters

Instructions

Prepare the Sweetened Tea Base - We boiled 5 liters of filtered water. - Then, we added tea, karkade, and 500 grams of sugar. Stirred well to dissolve the sugar completely. - We let the tea steep for 10-15 minutes and then removed the tea and karkade.

Cool the Tea - We let it sit for a couple of minutes.

Add SCOBY and Vinegar

• We poured it into a food container.
• We added 100 ml of white vinegar (or starter kombucha).
• Then, we carefully placed the SCOBY on top of the tea.

Fermentation

• We covered a food container with a breathable cloth and secured it with a rubber band.
• Let the kombucha ferment for 7-10 days at room temperature.

Notes

• Karkade (hibiscus) gave our kombucha a vibrant color and delicious tangy flavor.

Christina and I loved making this karkade kombucha – hope you enjoy it too!