7. BioFabricating Materials¶

Research¶

"Biofabricating Material

Biofabrication is the process of cultivating biological systems to form materials. It merges science, design, and sustainability. Unlike traditional materials made from petroleum or mined resources, biofabricated materials are produced through natural growth processes — transforming waste or renewable resources into new matter.

Types of Biofabricated Materials 1. Bacterial Cellulose: 2. Mycelium: 3. Algae-Based Materials: 4. Gelatin and Agar Bioplastics:

🌍 Why It Matters • Sustainability: Reduces reliance on petroleum-based plastics and animal-derived leather. • Circularity: Materials decompose back into the environment. • Innovation: Opens new possibilities for designers and scientists to co-create with living systems.

References & Inspiration¶

My experiment is inspired by the idea of using simple, natural materials to replace harmful plastics. I chose cornstarch because it’s easy to find, renewable, and fully biodegradable.

I was inspired by Fabricademy’s Biomaterials Week, where students explore starch-based bioplastics, and by Materiom.org, an open-source platform that shares recipes for sustainable materials. These sources encouraged me to experiment and understand how natural ingredients can create new materials for design and sustainability.

Two images side-by-side

*Cornstarch Bioplastic Experiment

Objective

To create a biodegradable plastic material using cornstarch and give it a natural brown color using black tea as a natural dye.

Tools¶

Material used

- cornflour
- Water
- Glycerin
-Vinegar 
- Black tea (used as a natural colorant)
-Mixing bowl and spoon
-Heat source
-Pot

Process and workflow¶

Process \

1.I first prepared black tea by boiling it in water, then left it to cool completely.
2.  In a separate bowl, I mixed cornstarch, vinegar, and glycerin together.
3.  Once the black tea was cool, I added it to the mixture instead of plain water. The tea gave the bioplastic a brown tone instead of the usual white color.
4.  I then heated the mixture slowly while stirring until it became thick and smooth.
5.  When the mixture turned into a gel-like texture, I poured it onto a flat surface and let it cool and dry.

Ingredients & Recipes¶

ingredients

15ml cornstarch (1 tbsp)
10ml vinegar (2 tsp)
10ml glycerin (2 tsp) *100ml black tea (7 tbsp)

Documenting and comparing experiments¶

TEST SERIE BIO-PLASTIC¶

Material name	polymer	plastifier	filler	emulsifier
bio-rainbow	biokelp powder 12 gr	glycerol 100 ml	rainbow dust 1 kg	green soap a drop
bio-rainbow	biokelp powder 12 gr	glycerol 100 ml	rainbow dust 1 kg	green soap a drop
bio-rainbow	biokelp powder 12 gr	glycerol 100 ml	rainbow dust 1 kg	green soap a drop
bio-rainbow	biokelp powder 12 gr	glycerol 100 ml	rainbow dust 1 kg	green soap a drop

RESULTS¶

Two ways of showcasing and comparing results with images below

On the left an image of a sample made by xxx with xxx. The dye is more xxx. On the right, an image of a sample made by xxx with xxx and xxx. Here the dye is more xxx.

---¶

Recipes¶

recipe: salmon skin fish-leather ↩