13. Implications and applications

Research & Concept

During my bio fabricating material and textile scaffold and open-source hardware, I was able to interact with different natural materials.

What I found out

Kenya has abundance of natural material that are highly underutilized. Processing of these materials also contribute to more waste being dumped in the environment without being recycled.

For instance, the pulp from sisal production is underutilized only used as manure yet it could make other products. On the other hand, water hyacinth and papyrus could be mixed and woven with other biomaterials to make products such as chairs and baskets to help reduce plastic use which are non-biodegradable.

Creating a mini-factory for biomaterial production at FabLab Winam will help in:

• Converts local raw materials into value-added products

• Reduces reliance on imported textiles, leather, foams, and composites

• Keeps economic value within local communities

Slide show