7. BioFabricating Materials¶
Research & Understanding¶
For decades, the world has relied on plastics for packaging and consumer goods, creating massive waste in landfills and oceans. The Ocean Plastic Company tackles this problem by collecting marine plastics and turning them into reusable materials, removing significant amounts of waste each year and opening new material opportunities, as the biomaterials focus of this week’s class.
While exploring the Bioplastic Cook Book, I came across an interesting point that made me wonder: Are bioplastics harmless for the environment?
Bioplastics can be plant- or animal-based. Each source has different environmental pros and cons, what matters most is how the raw material is grown, processed and sourced.
Plant-based bioplastics: made from materials like agar, corn starch or alginate (derived from seaweed). They’re renewable and absorb CO₂ while growing, but production and transport often rely on fossil fuels. Industrial crops may also involve GMOs, fertilizers, and pesticides. Using local, low-impact sources can make a big difference.
Animal-based bioplastics: gelatine bioplastics are derived from collagen, usually from pigs. Although sometimes described as “using waste,” high-quality gelatine can also come from purpose-bred animals, so it’s not always a by-product. Pig farming emits methane and nitrous oxide, yet repurposing leftover collagen can still reduce overall waste within the meat industry.
Fabricademy Alumni who inspired me¶
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Comparison research: Aslı Aydın Aksan - TextileLab Amsterdam
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Comparison research: Barbara Rakovska FabLab Bcn
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Jute research: Julija Karas - FabLab Bcn
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Polarisation in bioplastics: Viviane Labelle - EchoFab
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Local waste streams: Marieke van Eyndhoven
References & Inspiration¶
Innovators in bio-based and sustainable materials:
- Orange Fiber, an italian company that transforms citrus juice by-products into soft textiles, alternative to silk and leather.
- IDE.Eight, an italian company that creates sneakers from bio-based materials like apple, grape and cactus leather
- Ictyos, a Lyon-based company that upcycles fish skins from the food industry into luxurious marine leather through eco-tanning innovation.
- Desserto, a Mexican company that develops cactus-based leather as a durable, plant-derived alternative to traditional leather.
Credits: images from each creator’s Instagram profile.
Wool
Petra Garajová, a former Fabricademy alumna, explores the chemical extraction of keratin from wool waste to create biodegradable bioplastics. Through experiments combining keratin with natural polymers such as cellulose, Garajová investigates new applications in textiles, coatings, and 3D printing — bridging craft, science, and circular design.
Photo credit: Petra Garajová
Brebey ("sheep" in local language) is a Sardinian company that produces sustainable panels made from sheep’s wool, as well as eco-friendly materials for garments, such as a light padding ideal for jackets.
Photo credit: Brebey
Fungi
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Champiloop is a French company cultivating mushrooms on organic waste streams such as wood chips and coffee grounds, turning discarded materials into sustainable food and bio-based products.
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Amandine Fery focuses on reusing spent fungal substrates, exploring how coffee grounds and textile scraps can be regenerated through mycelium into new composite materials.
- Annah Sangosanya develops mycelium-based “leathers,” using Pleurotus fungi to break down textile and food waste (like denim and coffee) and transform it into flexible and biodegradable materials.
Inspiring documents and books
Results¶
This weekly assignments included:
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Produce at least one crafted and one grown material, exploring different recipes.
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Document recipes, ingredients, process and any discoveries or changes.
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Name, classify and display materials systematically.
Below are the outcomes of this week’s work:
Note: A few samples are still drying and are not included in the video.
Process to get there¶
This was my first approach to biomaterials and I found it very interesting! Diana and I worked together on materials creations and experimentations. We started with an introduction with Pauline who showed us many samples in Le Textile Lab and explained her main receipts.
Note: we are planning to reorganize the material samples in the lab.
Our samples took 1 to 7 days either to dry or to mature, with a warm room helping the process. Here are a few while we waited for them to be ready and below the full process of making them.
Crafted Bio-Materials¶
Being vegetarian and committed to animal welfare, I opted to avoid collagen-based recipes. Diana agreed so we concentrated our experimentation on agar and alginate, both entirely plant-derived material systems.
Agar-based Bioplastic¶
Consistency: soft, flexible.
Liquid base: madder dye bath
Samples: basic recipe, mica powder, carded wool.
The bioplastic mixture starts from a liquid base made of water combined with a colorant, which can be either natural or synthetic. For this experiment, the color came from a reused Madder dye bath from the Biochromes week, aligning the process with a circular design mindset.
* 5 g Agar
* 15 g Glycerin
* 250 ml
* gold mica powder
* carded wool
* a pot
* a balance
* a spatula
* a heating plate
* some molds
* Mix all the ingredients together at room temperature.
* Place them over medium heat. Do not boil the mixture to avoid trapping air bubbles.
* Once the mixture has a syrupy consistency, remove it from the heat.
* Quickly pour the mixture into molds or onto a surface.
* Let it dry
Important: prepare the molds in advance as the material will turn into jelly as soon as it is removed from the heat.
Agar and Wool Composite¶
Consistency: soft, quite flexible.
Samples: Thônes et Marthod wools.
With the idea of experimenting further with wool and while Diana was creating a phone case with mycelium, I tested a mix of agar and wool fibers. The result is a fully biodegradable material, closer to a composite or a kind of biological felt rather than a typical bioplastic.
I tested with two different type of Thônes et Marthod wool: washed carded wool, unwashed and unprocessed wool. I carried out this separate test after reading that untreated wool has difficulty bonding with agar (bio-based materials in general), which was confirmed by the final strength test in the video: when I tried to bend the sample, the composite broke in the middle.
I started from the agar composite recipe used in the lab, which originally included orange peels instead of wool and slightly adjusted the proportions. Below process refers to the single wool sample.
* 1 g Agar
* 5 g Glycerin
* 100 ml
* 2.25g wool
* a pot
* a balance
* a spatula
* a heating plate
* a petri dish
* Mix all the ingredients together at room temperature.
* Place them over medium heat. Do not boil the mixture to avoid trapping air bubbles.
* Once the mixture has a syrupy consistency, add the wool.
* Quickly pour the mixture into molds or onto a surface.
* Let it dry
Alginate Bioplastic¶
Consistency: flexible (due to Glycerin), dense.
Liquid base: Campeche dye bath
Samples: basic recipe, mica powder, carded wool.
As per the agar, the bioplastic mixture starts from a liquid base made of water combined with a colorant. For this experiment, the color came from a reused Campeche dye bath from the Biochromes week.
* 12 g Alginate
* 20 g Glycerin
* 400 ml
* 10 g seed oil
* a pot
* a balance
* a spatula
* a mixer
* some molds
1. Preparing the calcium chloride: in a spray bottle, mix calcium chloride with water (10 g of calcium per 100 ml of water)
2. In a container, mix all the ingredients and then blend.
3. Without stopping the blender, let the mixture thicken.
4. Once a creamy consistency is obtained, stop the blender.
5. Let the mixture rest for several hours to allow air bubbles to escape.
6. Pour the mixture into molds or onto a surface.
7. Spray the calcium chloride onto the mixture.
8. Let it dry
Fun fact: we epic-failed our first attempt of making the bioplastic because of a simple typo: the recipe said 121 g instead of 12 g. We noticed right away, as the material turned out very compact and powdery.
Threads
Consistency: rigid.
Diana and I experimented with creating alginate threads. To do so, we saved a portion of the biomaterial and poured it into a measuring cup with a spout (a syringe works too), leaving it to rest overnight.
Back in the lab the next day, we poured some of the pre-prepared calcium chloride solution into a container and slowly released the alginate mixture into it, tracing circular shapes on the surface (almost like decorating a cake)
Diana managed to create some impressively long strands, which allowed me to try crocheting them.
We let the threads rest overnight. As Pauline had warned, they shrank while drying, but crocheting them worked. Here’s a short video showing it in action.
Tapioca Bioplastic¶
Consistency: rigid, slightly sticky
Liquid base: water
Samples: basic recipe, mica powder (barely visible, not powdery)
* 100 g Tapioca
* 22 g Glycerin
* 300 ml Water
* 50 Vinegar
* golden mica, carded wool
* 1 pot
* 1 balance
* a spatula
* a heating plate
* molds
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In a pot, mix all the ingredients and then place over medium heat.
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Using a whisk, stir the mixture continuously until the tapioca melts and the mixture thickens.
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Once the consistency is thick and sticky, remove the mixture from the heat.
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Quickly pour the mixture into surface molds.
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Let it dry
Grown material¶
Given the limited time frame, we focused our efforts on one recipe. Since kombucha requires a longer growth process, we couldn’t include it in this phase, but we’re planning to try it in future experiments.
Mycelium (fungi)¶
Consistency: light but rigid
Liquid base: water
Samples: basic recipe (different shapes), 2 type of Thônes et Marthod wool.
There are two main approaches to producing mycelium-based biomaterials: cultivating your own strain or using a commercial pre-mixed substrate. We opted for the latter, though the mix had been stored in the lab for approximately 1.5 years, introducing uncertainty about its viability.
Moreover, such mixes provide limited transparency regarding the fungal species involved, reducing control over the biological and material properties of the final product.
Important: for this process, it is essential to work in a sanitized environment to prevent contamination.
* 1 mix already prepared
* carded wool
* pressure cooker
* gloves
* FFP2 mask (optional)
* flour and ethanol (alcohol)
* film
* molds
* Scissors/support tools
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Sterilize your tools, hands, growth form and surfaces
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Open the bag (sterilize the cutting tools and exterior of the bag)
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Add 30g of flour for each KG of GIY substrate
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Mix everything very finely with your hands
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Add you composite material, if you want. In our case, we added wool.
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Fill the growth form with the mixture
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Cover it with foil/plastic wrap (pinch tiny holes every 3 cm)
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Let it grow for approx. 4-5 days at 22°C-26°C
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Flip the growth form and tap until the product "pops" out
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Let it grow 2 more days outside of the growth form in a closed environment at 22°C - 26°C to get a white skin
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Dry: Bake off at 70°C for 2 to 3 hours
As molds, we used three Petri dishes: one with the standard mix, one with dark and light unwashed wool and one with unwashed, slightly curly wool from a ram (male sheep).
Besides the petri dishes, we created two bolws and larger sheets of material which, once dried, we plan to press and transform into smaller samples or sheet-like pieces.
Note: photo taken after three weeks.
What's next: more to explore¶
I would like to test more recipes using kombucha and food waste such as banana peels and coffee grounds. I also found working with wool incredibly fascinating and I would love to keep experimenting with this material. I’m equally intrigued by the properties of keratin and I hope to have the chance to study it further in the future.
Tools¶
Images: Martina Muroni unless otherwise stated.