The creation process of a two -part packaging material to protect a glass cup. The process begins with the 3D scanning of the cup on a mobile device. The 3D model of the trophy is then processed to create a two-part shape that envelops it. The shape is then printed with Mycofluid 3D and incubated for 10 days, which leads to a tight -fitting packaging material. 3D printing and additive production
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In a new study, researchers made a promising discovery: a compostable material that can serve as an alternative to plastic. The material consists of a combination of used coffeeats and spores from Reishi mushrooms that are printed into a paste and then 3D.
The idea began when Danli Luo, corresponding author of the study and doctoral student for human -centered design and engineering at the University of Washington, noticed how many coffee outside the coffee stalls accumulated from the production of espresso.
Together with co-author Junchao Yang and senior author Nadya Peek, Luo researched how coffee heads could serve an ideal growing basis for the strong Mycel network that is preceded by the growth of the fungus. The team started to explore a way to consume the used coffee area and make it a strong, light material that would be a more sustainable alternative to plastic.
First, they transformed the coffee outside into a Mycofluid paste by combining them with the spores of Reishi mushrooms, brown rice flowers, water and Xanthan -chewing gum to act as binders. This created a promising material that works with a 3D printer.
From there, Luo developed a tailor -made printing head to print the paste in more complicated and complex constructions that could imitate the versatility of plastic without the need for forms. The researchers made several objects using the design, including shipping packaging materials that could be a replacement for plastic foam (or styrofoam), a vase, a small statue and a miniature coffin.
“We are particularly interested in creating systems for people such as small companies, the small batch products produce-for example, small, sensitive glassware that need reliable packaging to send,” said Luo. “So we have worked on new material recipes that can replace things like styrofoam with something more sustainable and that can easily be adjusted for the production of small measures.”
After printing, the team kept the objects moist and in a sealed plastic tub for 10 days so that the mushroom spores can develop into a mycela skin. Then they removed the objects and dried them to prevent the development of the mushroom. The team published its method in the magazine 3D printing and additive production.
From the upper left to the bottom right: the 3D printer creates a design; Three printed parts of a vase; The partially defined vase pieces are put together; The Myzel grows on the coffee paste; The vase grows together; The finished vase keeps flowers and water. Luo et al ./3D pressure and additive production
According to the authors, your method for the experiment costs 1,700 US dollars for hardware, and the 3D printer could hold one liter of paste each. In comparison, they found that other similar solutions cost more than 7,000 US dollars. However, they noticed that the Mycofluid paste was dependent on uniform coffee reasons, which would restrict the scaling ability.
In the future, the researchers also hope to explore other food waste behind the coffee mushroom material that could be developed into paste for 3D printing that may have a better scaling option.
“We are interested in expanding this materials derived from organic materials such as other forms of food waste,” said Luo. “We would like to support this type of flexible development on the whole, not just a solution to this big problem of plastic waste.”
More and more scientists are examining opportunities to use the estimated 60 million tons of coffee, which are wasted every year worldwide. For example, New Atlas reported that researchers from the RMIT University have found a way to incorporate coffee outside the concrete coffee grounds to strengthen the concrete up to 30%.
Other coffee waste such as the shells were also valuable for a Colombian company called Woodpecker, the coffee shells in combination with recycled plastic used it cost -effective, prefabricated building.
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