kombucha leather
lead image by Oliver Kellhammer
Kumbucha leather is a biomaterial: a regenerative material created by living organisms, as contrasted with mined materials that must be mined or extracted.
- kombucha is a symbiotic community of bacteria and yeast
- kombucha leather is the dried version of the thickened layer that forms over fermenting liquid kombucha
Design goals
- to grow microbial leather that can be sewn or moulded in ways analogous to leather, parchment or homemade paper
- to improve control of the thickness and evenness of the dried material
- to test enhancements of the microbial leather such as coloring or waterproofing
Artists and designers, including the designer Suzanne Lee (see link to her TED talk) have recently been exploring the potential of microbial leather as a sustainable alternative to the ethically and environmentally problematic use of animal-sourced leather. Parsons Sustainable Systems is advancing this research.
Questions
Questions can be either frequently asked questions, or "next step" challenges we're looking to solve.
| Title | Author | Updated | Likes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How durable is kombucha leather? | @lait422 | over 6 years ago | 0 | 0 |
| How can I waterproof kombucha leather? | @lait422 | over 6 years ago | 1 | 2 |
| What kinds of surface design / decoration can i apply to kombucha leather? | @liz | almost 7 years ago | 0 | 0 |
| How do I dye kombucha leather? | @liz | almost 7 years ago | 0 | 3 |
| What are some techniques for drying kombucha leather? | @liz | almost 7 years ago | 0 | 0 |
| How can i manipulate kombucha leather? | @liz | almost 7 years ago | 0 | 1 |
| Does it matter what kind of tea i use to grow kombucha? | @liz | almost 7 years ago | 0 | 2 |
Activities
Activities show how to use this project, step by step.
| Purpose | Category | Status | Author | Time | Difficulty | Replications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Using a home-made Spectrometer to test kombucha readiness | - | - | @mkoistinen | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
| Grow kombucha leather (Parsons Healthy Materials Lab) | - | - | @liz | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
| Grow kombucha leather | - | - | @liz | - | - | 1 replications: Try it » |
Activities should include a materials list, costs and a step-by-step guide to construction with photos. Learn what makes a good activity here.