Biomaterials Blog

Digital journal of experimentation with bio materials and natural dyes. Started experimenting with kombucha "leather" in 2023, since then I have developed multiple research projects with this material. (See more info on "Undergraduate Research" page.

Kombucha Bacterial Cellulose

SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) is used to create a popular drink called "Kombucha." You can also use SCOBY as a biofabric which is similar to leather. The follwing experiements all test p

Experiment 1: Growing SCOBY for baseline study

Two batches of kombcuha were brewed, one using green tea (first study) and one using black tea (second study). This was to test how the bacterial cellulose grew, and if it was research I wanted to investigate further.

Experiment 2: Growing SCOBY in natural dyes

Experiment 3: Growing SCOBY in different liquid mediums

For this experiement, I wanted to see how different liquid mediums would affect the growth and structural properties of the SCOBY.

Week One Update

Week Two Update

Drying Process

SCOBY Vest and SCOBY texture manipulations

Bioplastics

Experiementing creating bioplastics with potato startch, coffee grounds, and glycerol. Tested different molds and textures to see how the material could be manipulated.

Potato Starch

Natural Dyeing

Testing different types of dyes (food dyes, pigments) and different ways to dye (bundle dye, ice dye, dye bath, rust dye). Using different mordants (alum, soda ash, and iron) to create a variety of colors.

Cabbage Dye

Created three different colors from natural dyes using cabbage and an alum mordant.

Bundle Dyeing (Eco printing)

First attempts at using flowers and foliage to create a botanical print.

Rust Dyeing

Current work in progress as of (02/07/2024). Updates coming soon

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