Coffee grounds, fungus and other bio-derived 3D printing materials
A research team from the University of Washington has developed a compostable 3D printing material made from a combination of coffee grounds and mushroom spores that could be used as an alternative to plastic in packaging applications. The material, called Mycofluid, is a paste that is made up of used coffee grounds, brown rice flour, Reishi mushroom spores, xanthan gum and water.
The idea for Mycofluid came from doctoral student Danli Luo, who saw in her own leftover coffee grounds a nutrient-rich byproduct that could be used to grow fungus. The idea was to create a material that spores could thrive in, not for the growth of mushrooms, but to create a mycelial skin, a fungal root system that functions as a binder between the coffee grounds and results in a water-resistant and lightweight material.
To print the Mycofluid paste, Luo built a custom 3D print head for a Jubilee 3D printer which could hold up to a liter of paste. From there, Luo and her team 3D printed various objects including packaging for a small glass and vases from the spore-infused coffee ground mixture. Once printed, the components were placed in a covered plastic bin for 10 days—enough time for the mycelium to form a shell around the Mycofluid structure. The parts could then be dried for 24 hours to stop the growth of the fungus before mushrooms could sprout.
According to the researchers, the resulting 3D prints were slightly heavier than styrofoam but as strong as the non-recyclable packaging material. “We’re especially interested in creating systems for people like small businesses owners producing small-batch products — for example, small, delicate glassware that needs resilient packaging to ship,” Luo explained. “So we’ve been working on new material recipes that can replace things like Styrofoam with something more sustainable and that can be easily customized for small-scale production.”
Luo’s innovative material joins a pretty versatile range of 3D printing materials made from organic materials and food byproducts. It’s not even the first time that coffee grounds have been used as a base material. For example, a 3D printing material called LOWIMPACT, made from a combination of coffee grounds and PLA, was developed by Madrid-based LOWPOLY, which specializes in sustainable 3D printing. The material was used to 3D print decor and furniture, including light fixtures, stools and a bar, for a coffee shop in Barcelona. These pieces, designed by Italian architect Arturo Tedeschi, are on display at the D·Origen Coffee Shop, located in Gaudi’s Casa Calvet.
A recent project, O°, out of the OXMAN design lab has also turned to organic, biodegradable materials in the development of consumer products. Specifically, the OXMAN team has developed shoes made from polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), organic thermoplastics derived from bacteria. “PHAs have long been recognized as a promising alternative to petroleum-based plastics,” said Neri Oxman, CEO and Founder of OXMAN. “We have successfully elevated the potential of PHA through the development of O°, a new technology for the design and fabrication of products that seeks to minimize harm in its conception and nourish the environment in its afterlife. We are thrilled to unveil our first product using this new technology: the O° shoe, which is made using 100% PHA, is 100% biodegradable, and has no petrochemicals or microplastics.”
There are many other sustainable materials being developed for 3D printing and innovative applications, including a slurry made from date pits that has been used to make beautiful decorative tiles, a living 3D printed battery made from a biodegradable fungus, and 3D printed bio-ceramics made from discarded lobster shells and eggshells developed by MANUFACTURA and bioMatters. You can find more stories on additive manufacturing and sustainability here.
