Experimental wool material

Project

267608

Status

Submitted

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS RISING STARS : concepts or ideas submitted by young talents (aged 30 or less)

Project title

Experimental wool material

Full concept/idea title

Description

The aim of the project is to bring the idea of sustainability to the architecture and textile industry through design and additive manufacturing. It examines the boundaries of wool which can be used as a textile material but also as an architectural material. Sheep raised primarily for food is a source of poor quality wool and as an excess material that can not be sold to any company.The new material should thus solve the problems of local farmers, wool supply chain and material recycling. 

Where is your concept/idea being developed or intended to be implemented in the EU?

Please provide a summary of your concept/ idea

Excessive amounts of sheep wool is unable to fulfill its original value and become a waste material in the textile industry. The number of wool waste is growing every year due to consumption in the world. Its quantity exceeds the limit of more than 200 000 tons of wool waste per year. Wool decay on farms or is destroyed because it cannot be integrated into the supply chain. It is becoming a global problem for sheep farmers, who primarily raise sheep for milk and cheese. The material itself grows naturally over time, so it has to be cutted but it can not be used. Sheep fiber has very good thermal insulation and waterproof properties. It contains a high amount of keratin which forms a good basis for 3D printable materials. In this case, it was necessary to turn wool into powder or ash. Together with the clay they could be extruded into any shapes or forms. The wool goes through the process of borax crystallization that we are able to get a material for 3D printing. 3D printing technology offers us completely new parameters for working with zero waste design and more sustainable materials. The key goal of biomaterial should be to find application in several fields of design. Rethink the textile materials we are used to working with,  replace plastics in everyday life or reduce the consumption of non-recyclable architectural materials.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of sustainability and how these would be met

Wool as a waste material has been processed by well known techniques and can be already used as recycled thermoisulation material. Although, new technologies, such as 3D printing, offer us more options and they can recycle vulnerable wool waste in a different way. Wool powder with clay could be extruded together and implemented in a construction context. The combination of wool and clay is expected to bring new innovations in ecological materials.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these would be met

Wool in combination with clay or other organic ingredients could create a new material that is sufficiently strong and has a high potential for application in product or interior design. It could be an ecological replacement for many of the resistant non-degradable materials we use every day. I have been trying to work, except 3D printing, also with molds to create common products. Or to transform it as a thin bioplastics layer which we can call “textile”.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of inclusion and how these would be been met

The problem with wool waste is global - it affects many countries around the world. I am working on this project between Slovakia, Czech Republic and Spain. They are struggling with the same problem. The material research starts from local problems trying to improve collective consciousness. At the same time, spread out how to work with the waste and use new technologies. For that reason I collaborated with a local sheep farmer (from Colmenar, Spain) who provided me with his wool waste for education purposes.

Please explain the innovative character of your concept/ idea

The first version of the wool powder is produced in home conditions and does not require any special equipment. Natural fibers are combined with clay for 3D printing to make a unique material which can be printed into specific digitally generated forms. The aim is to test its construction properties of the material and improve its capabilities. Wool can also come back to the fashion industry as a new material by obtaining pure powder from wool waste. There are still unexamined areas of sustainable textiles which I would like to investigate too.

Please detail the plans you have for the further development, promotion and/or implementation of your concept/idea, with a particular attention to the initiatives to be taken before May 2022

The current wool waste is crystallized which means that it still contains some parts of wool fibre and borax particles so it can be easily blended at home. Which actually gives strength to the clay material and the final 3D printed object. The key point is to print wool with a clay 3D printer or other similar 3D printer for biomaterials. The future step with the current material will be to implement it into daily used products with design prototyping. But also test its functionality as an architecture material. Especially, to create a library of possibilities connected with architecture. Starting from flat patterns to 3D assembly objects. Moreover, with professional help and equipment I would try to turn wool into pure wool powder using hydrolysis. To see if we are able to achieve other materiality of this waste and what other options we have with it. The project is trying to affect various fields of arts, architecture and design but on the other hand it needs to be connected with biology and chemistry as well.  

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that the proposed concept/idea has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Rising Stars Awards more than once in the same category.