Experimental setup of Machine v1.
Shoe shortly before it is moistened again every 20 minutes.
Shoe after one week of growth.
Cellulose grown in differently colored culture media.
After approximately 2 weeks of growth time.
Working under the clean bench when errors occur in the reactor.
Programming through the window of the BioLab after opening hours.
Biotic Boot
Biofabricated shoe made from bacterial cellulose
Bacterial cellulose is produced by bacteria that convert sugar into cellulose. This sugar can be sourced from waste generated in food production, for example. The process occurs at the interface between liquid and air, where extensive layers form. These layers can then be further processed into a durable leather substitute. This type of cellulose is purer and more stable than plant-based cellulose. The challenge in this experiment is to cultivate a 3D biofilm. This allows for additively manufactured components to be overgrown, facilitating the direct creation of three-dimensional products without the need for subsequent stitching or extensive manual post-processing. A shoe serves as an exemplary object, often the result of hours of manual labor, thus making it an ideal test subject. A specialized machine moistens sterile the surface of the mold every 20 minutes, allowing the bacteria to form their biofilm on a 3D surface.
| student: | Friedrich Gerlach |
| project: | Habitat |
| year: | 2023 |
Throughout the project, numerous methods for producing bacterial cellulose have been explored. Techniques ranged from using Kombucha and Mycoderma aceti to simply employing a pure culture of bacteria. A variety of production techniques were explored, encompassing static cultivation, dynamic cultivation, and cultivation of bacteria on oxygen-exchange membranes. Moreover, experiments have been conducted to assess the capability of growth on diverse media, such as fruit-based mediums or dyeing the bacterial cellulose during growth to produce different colors.
Bacterial cellulose is produced by bacteria that convert sugar into cellulose. This sugar can be sourced from waste generated in food production, for example. The process occurs at the interface between liquid and air, where extensive layers form. These layers can then be further processed into a durable leather substitute. This type of cellulose is purer and often more stable than plant-based cellulose.
The challenge in the final experiment is to cultivate a three-dimensional biofilm. This method has the benefit of being able to cover additively produced parts, facilitating the direct creation of three-dimensional products, without the necessity for sewing or extensive manual post-processing. A shoe was chosen as a demonstrative object for this procedure, considering shoes typically necessitate hours of manual labor, thus making them an optimal testing subject. To achieve this, a specialized machine setup has been developed, which moistens the surface of the shoe mold every 20 minutes for several days. This procedure allows the bacteria to settle there and grow their biofilm on a three-dimensional surface, thanks to the regular supply of nutrients.