Starting point

As part of the "Dräger" collaboration, I additionally dealt with material research. First of all, two fellow students and I took a closer look at an alcohol measuring device. In order to understand the impact of the materials used, we took the device apart as far as possible and worked out the data in "Sustainable Minds". Sustainable Minds is a cloud software that provides environmental product transparency applications, data, and services. We noticed that the single-use mouthpieces of alcolizers have the biggest imapct on the environment.

Parallel to my project “Haley”, I started my journey to find a biodegradable alternative for the alcolizer mouthpieces. Initially I experimented with Agar, milk, potato starch and Spirulina algae.

For observation purposes I left the material for 14 days to develop. For the next step I decided to focus on Agar Agar, because it had a variety of states to offer. Additionally due to the fact that glycerine was a rare good during the first lock-down, this was a more sustainable option to go for.

Shaping the material

Working with “Agar Agar” was challenging. In the first experiments I attempted to shape it into a form that somewhat resembles a mouthpiece. After waiting for a while I was confronted with shrinkage more than twice the original size.

Strengthen the material

In order to counteract the shrinkage issue, I used several additional ingredients. The expanding property of flea seeds in combination with the strengthening property of the starch in Agar were fruitful. I was able to create a biodegradeable, odorless and strong material. The drinking test offered the proof of concept.

Packaging

Additionally I looked into a biodegradable alternative for the packaging of the mouthpiece. In consideration of this, I experimented with Scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), and starch. Scoby is already an upcoming material used for leather alternatives. This material is used and a byproduct created in Kombucha, vinegar and beer production.

Both were treated with a little amount of coconut oil and gycerine to obtain a certain smoothness and flexibility.