German designer Basse Stittgen has developed two strategies for reworking lignin, an under-used plant-based polymer, into purposeful objects.
Stittgen’s Tree-ism challenge explores how lignin and cellulose, each derived from European Spruce bushes, may be mixed to create “remade wooden” merchandise.
The outcomes embody a polymer clay, which the designer has moulded into playful furnishings objects, together with a heat-pressed bioplastic that was used to make plates.
Each lignin and cellulose are polymers that may be extracted from wooden pulp. However whereas cellulose is broadly utilized in manufacturing, lignin is usually handled as a waste product.
Stittgen needs to indicate how this brown, fibrous substance may very well be used as a design materials.
“Cellulose and lignin are the 2 most plentiful natural polymers on earth,” the designer stated.
“Whereas one is used excessively in a number of various industries such because the paper and textile business, the opposite stays largely unexplored, remaining an underutilised byproduct,” he continued.
“Lignin is usually burned in thermal waste crops for the manufacturing of power, with all of the consequential damaging emissions.”
Stittgen believes that lignin’s wealthy color and tactile high quality are options that needs to be valued as a result of they end in objects that retain the feel and appear of tree bark.
This led him to discover functions for cellulose that do not require the lignin to be eliminated.
“It’s tough to carry a bit of paper and see a tree,” Stittgen stated.
“The objects made on this challenge are supposed to evoke mindfulness and a connection to the supply of their materials, when held they’ll hopefully remind you of a tree, the tough texture of the bark, the yr rings that hold observe of the seasons and the panorama during which the tree grew.”
The polymer clay was made by combining lignin sulfonate (the fabric’s water-soluble kind) with cellulose fibres and water, leading to a putty that may be hand sculpted into completely different types.
His thermoformed bioplastic was in the meantime made purely from lignin and cellulose. These are blended collectively and heat-pressed in a mould at 180° Celsius, with round 10 tons of stress, to create a sheet materials.
“Similar to in a tree, lignin binds the cellulose fibres to one another, due to this fact making a remade wooden bioplastic,” stated Stittgen.
The designer has explored alternative ways of mixing the 2 completely different materials merchandise. His designs embody an ambiguous shelving design and lamps that resemble forest mushrooms.
He has additionally developed a 3rd use for lignin. By mixing it with gum arabic, orange turpentine, linseed oil and water, he has developed an ink that can be utilized to silk-screen print onto cellulose-based paper.
This ink can be used as a coating to make his bioplastic objects water resistant.
Stittgen is changing into recognized for his revolutionary use of waste biomaterials. Earlier tasks embody Blood Associated, which created objects from animal blood, and a tableware challenge known as How Do You Like Your Eggs?
As with these different tasks, Stittgen plans to proceed exploring the potential of lignin. “The analysis is ongoing and there’ll nonetheless be many extra objects to return,” he added.
