BRIEF
Material research focussed on kombucha as a vegan/biodegradable leather or bioplastic, to provide open source knowledge for student projects at Designskolen Kolding.

PROCESS
Developing best practices and refining the processes of growing, harvesting and drying kombucha leather. Findings were closely documented and led to prototyping custom equipment, designing a material archiving system, and the creation of experimental samples.

OUTCOME
The set up of a DIY biomaterials lab with kombucha leather growing, harvesting and drying kits, accompanied by an instructional manual, material archive and stock of material for use.

WHAT IS KOMBUCHA LEATHER?

A kombucha SCOBY, when harvested after the fermentation process and then dried, becomes a leather-like material, characterized by it’s strength, moldability and water retention.

Sheet of dried kombucha leather with cotton yarn
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KOMBUCHA LEATHER ARCHIVE

The archive is categorised by themed investigations, consisting of cards displaying a material sample on the front, and detailing the process and materials on the back. The creation of over 100 samples act as the foundation of the archive, to inform and inspire further experimentation with kombucha leather and DIY materials within student projects that will continue the contribution of samples.

MATERIAL EXPERIMENTATION

Experimentation was conducted across the different stages of drying kombucha leather to investigate it’s changing properties, with further inquiries spanning a number of themes such as surface aesthetics (texture, colour, finish), strengthening the material (adding fibres, layering material), and adapting its properties (thickness, water absorption, stickiness).

Parameters were set to maintain a 100% biodegradable, non-toxic material, along with the addition of predominantly organic materials or by-products such as wood dust, common reed flowers, and mash grains from beer brewing.

PRODUCTION PROCESS

Without standard operating procedures for the production of kombucha leather, over numerous brewing sessions I developed the most optimal recipe and conditions for consistent results.
Equipment for brewing was tailored to the production of material, using shallow rectangle trays with a large surface area over which the SCOBY would form, then harvesting and drying this on custom drying frames or sheets.
This growing and drying process could then be continually repeated for the ongoing production of kombucha leather.

REFLECTIONS

Looking at the wider context - the optimization of process variables is essential for scaling-up and facilitating the cost-effective production of SCOBY cellulose for kombucha leather. However, with the present scenario of the material lab and archive at Designskolen Kolding, these facilities provide access and knowledge for students to investigate and experiment with kombucha leather towards developing its wide potential in sustainable applications.

Harvesting a newly grown SCOBY
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