Material Alchemy #1: Eggshell ceramics & bio-plastics

Eggshell is one of the small wonders of nature and a biodegradable material with many valuable properties. While used to some extent in agriculture, a lot of eggshell is scrapped. According to designer Basse Stittgen, around 1,1 trillion eggs are produced globally each year. An estimated third of these eggs are discarded, due to fragility and short shelf life.

The last couple of years several designers and researchers have looked into how eggshell can be used in making new materials for use in products and interior design, with promising results.

Eggshell Ceramic
The Dutch designer and material researcher Laura van de Wijdeven’s project “Eggshell Ceramic” uses the surplus from egg production to produce a material looking like ceramics but with the weight of cardboard. The result is a beautiful, poetic glimpse at the possibilities in developing waste into new circular materials .

With a lot of different possible future uses for the material, the designer has proposed how trays made of eggshell ceramic could replace disposable plates. At the end of their life, the products can be broken down into calcium water and be used as a plant nutrient.

Eggshell bio-plastic
Another angle of the same issue is pursued by the German designer Basse Stittgen in his project “How Do You Like Your Eggs”. Here the designer has produced a bio-plastic made from discarded and b-grade eggs, made entirely from thermoheated eggshell and -whites with no additives.

As one of several projects by Stittgen shedding light on less exposed aspects of consumption culture, this project doesn’t seek to replace ordinary plastics. Rather it seeks to highlight the precious materiality of ordinary items of consumption.

“When working with an animal product it is extremely important to know where your material comes from since through working with it you are becoming directly related to the well being of a living creature ,which creates a huge responsibility.”, Stittgen notes on his website.

Human shells, 3d-printing & eggshell cement
The investigations of Spanish designer Sofia Perales’ includes experimentation with creating tiles in eggshell cement, body armour and as a substrate for 3d printing.

While we wait for the (mindful) industrialization of materials that makes use of egg shell, the open source bio-material database Materio offers everything you need to get started experimenting yourself. Apart of the Perales’ 3D paste, Materio offer the recipes of ceramics, composites and even fabrics based on eggshell and other natural components.

Eggshell based cement tiles by Sofia Perales

Bowls and trays by Sofia Perales

Open source 3D printer paste, based on eggshell, water and xanthan Ana Otero / Materio.