Date of Award
Spring 5-30-2019
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Industrial Design
Department
Industrial Design
First Advisor
Peter Dean
Second Advisor
Amy Leidtke
Third Advisor
Emily Kennedy
Abstract
Through the history of human evolution, we evolved dependent on many different biological species, which led us to understand the significance of biomatters cultivation. Biomatters are materials derived from living or once-living organisms which are or were subject to biological growth. The biomatters we use, need, and waste were and continue to be a major resource. Wheat, wood, and wool are all examples of a biomatter, yet each serves a different need. Given the range of current threatening environmental concerns, all rooted in our species treating nature as never-ending material resource, we need reactions and solutions that are urgent. Biomatters may provide just that solution.
I intend to highlight biomatter’s promising potentials - of being growable, accessible, and environmental - to promote a culture of how to use and work with biology to fulfil our pressing contemporary high demand on materials. Utilizing the capacity of biomatter from food byproducts that are perceived as waste is one way toward that culture.
What is considered “waste” can in fact be, easily used. For example, every day, about 250 million eggs are being consumed in only the United States. Therefore, eggshells’ waste is enormous, estimated as 1,375 tons of daily eggshells’ waste. On the gradient scale of value, eggshell is perceived as waste material, which ranks it low in value. Is it possible to use eggshells’ waste as a making material in product design?
Designing materials from waste to create high-value aesthetic products is one way to elevate eggshells from supposed waste to valuable raw material. Through months of material-driven research and development, I was able to develop several innovative material recipes that include eggshells as their foundational ingredient. In this thesis, I position eggshell waste, as it contains vast potential, to be repurposed into material-driven applications in product design.
Recommended Citation
Alzawawi, Tareq, "Biomatters : future of biology as material source" (2019). Masters Theses. 410.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/410
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