Bioplastic TinkerLab

2019 - on going

A biomaterial research that explore alternative ways to produce a circular material model that is biophilic and sustainable.

What inspired me to do this project?

During the time I was a Biology undergraduate, I watched a video about the great pacific garbage patch (plastics soup) in the ocean. I was shocked from learning about how serious the plastic waste pollution is, and how is it greatly impact our ecosystem negatively. Later when I worked in a maker space, I saw many wastage from courier packaging, scrapped laser cut and 3D printing materials everyday. I feel I should take actions to tackle this problem.

Overview

This project is a self-initiated project which I did with the DIY BIO HK community. The project aims to develop materials that is more sustainable and biophilic. Besides, the research also aims to design a circular material model can create less waste.

The outcome is a bioplastic material collection, and a tote bag made with bioplastic to demonstrate the possibilities of application. The experience is also shared with a group of undergraduate students in a HKU Design + lecture.

Bioplastic experiment with various DIY recipes.

Inspirations

Science and Social

I explored the concepts of circular economy, environmental impact of plastic waste and social R&D.

bioplastic inspiration - science and soc

Recipes

The project takes inspiration from FabTextile experiments on biomaterials, and the Kombucha leather by Suzanne Lee.

Applications

Different forms of possible application can be made from bioplastics.

Ideation & Development

Click the image to view the decription

2. Materials and Tools of making gelatin-based bioplastic

5. bioplastic result - wheat flour based

Bioplastic tote bag making of video.

Outcomes

Looking into the result of the property test, I found that gelatin-based bioplastic recipe is the most stable one. A larger sheet is then casted, dried, then laser cut to make a tote bag.

The results and recipes that I have experimented with are consolidated and documented to share with a group of HKU design students from the Design+ programme.

Food pigment is added to the gelatin-based bioplastic sheet while it's still wet to make pattern.

Gelatin-based bioplastic sheet is quite flexible which is suitable for textile project.

Gelatin-based bioplastic bag making.

Students from HKU Design+ programme experimented on different bioplastic recipes.

Presentation slide I prepared for the HKU students. (Presentation link)

More detailed documentation of this project can be found in instructables and this blog post.

What Next?

Through experimenting with carbohydrate based bioplastic, I have a deeper understanding of the properties, potential applications, and limitation of this material. It can be a good material for temporary usage, such as food packaging. But it is not a suitable material for providing as a structural support. So next step, I will investigate other options in bio-inspired materials that can provide a strong structural support and is more durable.