Wood chip Bio-composite

Properties & Qualities

Application

Architecture Art Furniture Lighting Sample making Sculpture

Qualities

2D Flexible Textured / tactile

Colour

Earth-colour

Sample Information

Date of Creation

March 25th, 2023

Dimensions

110mm X 90mm X 2mm

Culture & Context

This material was born out of curiosity about the potential of industrial waste produced in the wood manufacturing industry. Wood chip was collected, and using a trial-and-error approach with natural materials, a method of binding this material was established. The sample shown is cork-like in properties – flexible yet strong. To me, it shows the possibility of applications such as packing material to replace less ecological materials such as styrofoam.

Process & Production

Wood chip was added to a mixture of beef gelatin, glycerol, water, and salt to produce a material that was poured into a mold and allowed to air dry.

Recipe Details

Ingredients:50 grams woodchip15 grams gelatin200ml water5ml Glycerol5ml SaltStep one: Mix the 15 grams of beef gelatin, 200 ml of water, 5ml salt, and 5 ml of glycerolStep two: Heat this mixture and stir until the begins to bubble and becomes a homogeneous thick paste.Step three: Add wood-chip to the paste, mix well, and pour into a mold.Step four: Allow to air dry before removing from mold