Algae Design
DS.WRITER:
Vasilis Xifaras
Source : ripostemagazine.com
Because our natural environment is in a critical condition, it’s become crucial to emphasise new technologies and innovative materials that can improve our lives in the long term. Such material is algae.
Algae is a term referring to a large group of photosynthetic eukaryotic plants. The widely known seaweed is a macro-algae, which is macroscopic in nature and exists in the sea. A great advantage of algae is that, in being photosynthetic, they produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide, cleansing the atmosphere of pollutants.
Source: damnmagazine.net
It comes as a surprise that algae can be used even to create paint. Researcher María Boto Ordóñez is searching for new methods of producing paint, through cultivating algae among other microorganisms. By removing the paint from the organism and transferring it to scanners and papers, in the form of ink or filling of a 3D printer, María Boto Ordóñez has observed that the colour of algae fades over time. This fact intrigued other researchers, prompting them to study more the relationship between algae and time.
Algal bioplastics
Source: medium.com
Plastic is one of the most widespread but also toxic materials on our planet. Nonrenewable resources are expended for its production, mainly oil, and at the same time it’s non-biodegradable. Since plastic is a polymer, scientists are continuously inventing new materials with similar potential that share this property. The so-called biopolymers can be created out of different sorts of organic matter, like potato and corn starch, sugarcane and seaweed. Recently, however, Dutch designers Eric Klarenbeek and Maartje Dros created a bioplastic from algae. This product can be used in 3D printing. That is, it can function as raw material for a vase, a chair, a table or even for a whole house. Let’s not forget that the production of a bioplastic product expends only half of the energy that a plastic product would. The benefits of designing with this material are already becoming clear.
Design objects made from algae
Source: materialdistrict.com
A noteworthy example of algae-based bioplastic use is the “Zero Waste” packaging collection by Austeja Platukyte, a graduate of the Vilnius Academy of Arts and creative researcher in the fields of technology and craft. The material she used is produced from just two substances: agar derived from algae and calcium carbonate reinforced with emulsifying wax. It’s a lightweight and waterproof material, which can be used as a fertiliser to preserve soil moisture after its initial use.
Another example is Ari Jónsson, a student at the Iceland Academy of the Arts, who managed to produce biodegradable bottles, combining agar produced from red algae dust with water. This mixture is then heated and poured into bottle-shaped moulds, which, placed in a cold environment, then produce a solid water bottle that is actually suitable for consumption (the water it contains as well as the bottle itself).
Algae fabric and silk protein, by Scarlett Yang | Source: materialdistrict.com
The use of algae-based plastic is widespread in the field of fashion. Breathable raincoats, biodegradable shirts as well as athletic shoes, all using this material instead of plastic, are already circulating in the market.
Source: designwanted.com
In the field of construction, there’s the intriguing tile that consists of great quantities of algae, which helps remove toxic substances from water. The Bartlett School of Architecture has designed the “Indus” tile that can be laid in places with polluted waters and constructed in situ. It’s a small clay plaque shaped like a fan and with vein-like lines spanning over its surface, mimicking the structure of leaves that evenly distribute water to every part of a plant. Each line is filled with microalgae and when the tile is placed vertically it can cleanse the water that runs over it. This innovation, other than the fact that it can function constantly, as long as the quantity of algae is gradually renewed, also saves a significant amount of space, since water cleaning devices are usually bulky.
The prospects of designing with algae are indeed ambitious. It should however be noted that not all bioplastic products are environmentally healthy since not all of them turn completely into compost. The breakdown into tiny particles or dust, without biodegradation, can put live organisms in peril. So, it’s crucial to make sure the object as a whole can be recycled during the design process so that each object can give its life to something else.
Sources:
https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/beazley-designs-of-the-year/product/indus
https://www.maxmag.gr/perivallon/vioplastika-giati-den-einai-i-lysi-sti-meiosi-ton-plastikon/
https://www.dezeen.com/2016/03/20/ari-jonsson-algae-biodegradable-water-bottles-iceland/
https://www.austejaplatukyte.com/
https://www.atelier-luma.org/en/projects/algaeplatform
https://www.damnmagazine.net/company_news/printing-microalgae/
