Roxana Caplan

• MArch Architecture
• FOOD WASTE RECIPES for growing bacterial cellulose

Acknowledging the large amounts of food becoming waste every day, this research investigated the potential of using food waste as a resource for biomaterial creation, in order to expand the scale, production and use of bacterial cellulose (BC) in uncontrolled diy settings. The project explored ways of synthesising bacterial cellulose from nutrients contained in various food wastes, instead of using raw, often expensive, ingredients, aiming to identify working recipes and to find a proactive solution to reduce food waste. The resilience of the process was tested along with different preparation methods. The material properties of the grown BC were observed, displaying a variety of fascinating properties, showing variation in smell, brittleness, elasticity, smoothness and consistency. This project uncovered the potential of many new avenues of investigation that expand the uses of bacterial cellulose from domestic scale to larger scale applications in the built environment, aspiring to the idea of finding circular ways that use local waste to grow local materials.

Funding source: Newcastle University

Project supervisor: Dr Ben Bridgens