Designing an Educational Process for Biofabrication

Aoife Fahey The Practice of Sustainable Design 112-17-16
SD-7620-W16-FINAL ASSIGNMENT
DESIGNING AN EDUCATIONAL
PROCESS FOR BIOFABRICATION

During this project, I wanted to try and grow mycelium material and
document the events in order to create a process that design students
can use when starting out in the world of biofabrication.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TERMINOLOGY ............................................................................................................... 4
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 5 - 7
THE PROBLEM ............................................................................................................... 8 - 12

LIVING SYSTEMS ............................................................................................................... 13 - 15
DESIGNING THE PROCESS .................................................................................................... 16 - 28

LEARNING OUTCOME ............................................................................................................ 29
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 30
SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ............................................................................. 31
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 32
APPENDIX I - LOGBOOK FROM MYCELIUM EXPERIMENTS
APPENDIX II - LIFECYCLE ASSESSMENT PLASTIC AND GLASS PETRI DISHES

MICROBIAL CULTURE:
The process of multiply organisms by
letting them reproduce under
controlled conditions.
TERMINOLOGY
INOCULATION:
The act of putting biomass into a
growth media in order to culture it.
GROWTH MEDIA:
Liquids or solids used to aid the
growth of micro-organisms
EUCARYOTES:
Multicellular,
DNA in chromosomes
Membrane bound organelles
PROCARYOTES:
Single celled,
Single loop of DNA
No membrane bound organelles
MYCELIUM:
Thread-like roots of fungi that takes
nutrients and carbon from dead
biomass. It grows around the
decomposing matter like and acts
like a binder. It creates a chitin shell
on the surface of the mass.
HYPHAE:
Each of the branching filaments
that make up the mycelium of a
fungus.
STRAIN:
A strain is a genetic variant or
subtype of a micro-organism

INTRODUCTION
We need to have more diversity in our material choices. We are
running out of oil for the petroleum-based materials and the
increase in our population is problematic for acquiring the land
needed to grow more natural materials. In today’s world, the only
material we have plenty of, is ‘waste’. Alternative solutions are
needed, and that is where biotechnology and synthetic biology
come in.
Biofabrication is the new definition given to the material
manufacturing where materials are grown, harnessing biological
organisms.This is a new design paradigm centered on
cultivating materials with living cells. Organisms such as yeast,
bacteria, fungi, and algae are fermented and cultured to
synthesize natures materials but with new properties.1
There is a whole new world of biofabricated materials that can
be grown in a lab instead of a field, and could be a lot more
sustainable than some of the current materials available.
A common problem with new innovative materials that come
onto the market, is that designers don’t understand what they
are made of, let alone what they can potentially do. I would like
to try and bridge the gap between science and design by
developing an educational process that will help students grow
materials in a design lab.

BIOFABRICATED MATERIALS
With a global population expanding at a rapid rate, more
products/buildings/garments are in demand, which means the
current material options are being stretched to their limits.
We need to have more diversity in our material choices. Today,
we use nature as a resource for our materials, but what if we
worked alongside nature to create our materials?
Biofabrication is when a biological system is used in the
fabrication of a material. Biofabricated materials can be seen as
a collaboration between the designer and nature. It is
important to mention that “designers need to develop a
critical and ethical understanding of how best to apply these
new biological tools”2
It is vital that the process of producing the material is taken into
consideration. A ‘heat, beat and treat’ method of production is
going to have a serious impact on how sustainable the material
ends up being when the whole lifecycle is taken into account.

WHY MAKE MATERIALS FROM MYCELIUM?
There are many who believe that fungi are our future. Besides being a source of protein, people have been using mushrooms
for medicinal purposes since the dawn of mankind, and they are constantly finding new uses for them. Fungi has been used
to clean up oil spills, to fight breast cancer, to control insect infestations, to absorb radiation and it is even speculated that
they could be the answer to the problem of how to grow food on Mars3
.
As a material, mycelium can be used in 3D printing, mycelium leather, building materials, packaging and even furniture.
As a living system, it has a very active and vital role in nature acting as a recycler of dead matter. It consumes the carbon
and nitrogen from biomass and this helps to grow the hyphae network. It provides nutrition for the soil as well as the plants
around it and has been dubbed the “wood wide web”.4
With all this taken into consideration, a better question to ask would be; why are we not making more materials from
mycelium?
“I believe we can solve all the world’s problems with mycelium biology.”
DR. AMANDA PARKES

PROBLEM STATEMENT
Design students are not used to working with scientific methods when it
comes to material experiments. Is it possible to design an educational
process that incorporates scientific methods with design processes, so
that students will be able to successfully biofabricate materials in a
material design lab (MDL)?

KEY DESIGN DRIVERS
• Exploration of new materials
• Sharing new knowledge
• New collaborations with people who work with synthetic biology
• Lots of unknown variables
KEY DESIGN OBJECTIVES
• Work within living systems
• Consider future generations
• Create green jobs
• Encourage biodiversity
• Optimise performance
• Optimise instead of maximise
• Design for Innovation
• Optimise resources
• Cycle resources
• Optimise process health
STAKEHOLDERS
• Students
• Teachers
• Biotechnologists
• Material Design Lab
• Board of Trustees
• Local Businesses (provide waste as feedstock)
• Biosphere
KEY ISSUES
• Lack of scientific experience
• Getting students to commit to a process
• Training the trainers
• Facilities to grow materials
• Not much imformation available
• Unknown territory
DEFINING THE OBJECTIVES, DRIVERS, CHALLENGES AND STAKEHOLDERS OF
DESIGNING AN EDUCATIONAL PROCESS FOR BIOFABRICATION

BRAINSTORMS
PROPOSAL FOR DTU ASKING TO:
• get a basic understanding of how fungi grow
• learn what mycelium is constituted of
• how to culture mycelium, incl growth conditions and
growth rates
• understand the diversity within fungi
• learn how to document the process to ensure repro-
ducebility
• do actual lab work to culture fungi
• gain knowledge on the needed facilities, equipment,
costs and manpower
Brainstorm sessions were conducted with people from both the science
and design worlds. With the scientists, the purpose was to brainstorm
about scientific methods and what they entail, but also how to write a
proposal to get permission to conduct some experiments at a proper
research facility.

WHOLE SYSTEMS FRAMEWORK
This project will incorporate many of the design strategies from the Whole Systems Framework5.
The most influencial being the
all strategies that fall under ‘Work with living systems’ objective. There are a number of other strategies that are relevant:
OBJECTIVE: Maintain the earth’s ability to provide “services”
STRATEGY: Maintain healthy top soil//Maintain healthy habitats//Maintain clean air
Mycelium works as Natures decomposer and is responsible for taking dead matter and turning it into nutrients for the soil. It is
also sequesters carbon which helps in providing clean air.
Mycelium material is designed for a biological nutrient cycle and should be designed for composting as well as sourced
locally.
It is also has its another strategy where itf is designed to use waste materials as a resource.
The goal would also be that all the strategies that fall under the Product/Material objectives would be met as well. However, this
is a long term goal and will not be covered in this project.
The social sustainability frameworks are also not being looked into during this project.

Phenomenological Method
• Testing, exploring and developing
the material based on the individual
subjective experience and percep-
tion of the material.
• Qualitative
• The sensory/tactile experience of
the material drives the process.
• Can be systematic
• Experiments are based on studying
and developing the technical and
sensorial properties through a cre-
ative exploration of the material
Scientific Method
• Systematic and measurable explora-
tion and development of the material
• Quantitative
• Provides data
• Provides measurable documentation.
• Experiments are based on verification
or falsification of a hypothesis.
New
Method?
DESIGN SCIENCE

RESEARCH
PROCARYOTES
EUCAR
YOTES
COMMON LIFE
Bacteria
Archaea
Animals
Fungi
Plants
LIVING SYSTEMS
All life on earth can be divided into two basic
categories - cells with a nucleus (Eucaryote) and
cells without (Procaryote).
Fungi belong in the same domain as plants and
animals. They are considered to be more closely
related to animals than plants. 6
Fungi have been around for 300 millions years7
and have symbiotic relationships with the other
organisms in the surrounding environment where
they thrive.
There is still much to learn about the world of
fungi but it is the synergy with other natural
materials that make them so interesting to look at
when creating a composite material.
THE TREE OF LIFE

DOMAIN
KINGDOM
PHYLUM
CLASS
ORDER
FAMILY
GENUS
SPECIES
TAXONOMY OF BIOLOGY
The taxonomy of biology is the catergorization of all living
organisms. This system makes it easier to breakdown an
organism and see which ones have similar characteristics.
This is important in biofabrication as it is necessary to
understand the characteristics of the different organisms and
how closely related they are to each other.
Strains that are the same all the way down to genus will more
than likely have similar traits to work with. Strains that differ
starting at the class for example might be very different to
work with. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota phyla are
considered the best for growing mycelium materials.
If we look at the Oyster mushroom through this taxonomy, it
would look as follows:
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Pleurotaceae
Genus: Pleurotus
Species: Ostreatus
RESEARCH

WHAT IS MYCELIUM?
It is between these two stage of
the lifecycle where the experi-
ments will take place
FACTS ABOUT MYCELIUM:
• Mycelium is the collective term for hyphae.
• Not photosynthetic
• Break down and digest dead matter
• Cell walls are made of chitin
• Strong nitrogen - contains polysaccharide
RESEARCH
FIGURE 1

GETTING STARTED - DOCUMENTATION
The most important part of this whole process is keeping a detailed
record of everything that is done during the experiments.
Simple things like not having a smear proof pen, can cause havoc
with the experimental process.
It is easier to have a notebook and pen in the lab then bring a
laptop into the space.
Prepare a lab kit before starting any experiments:
• Camera phone
• Smear proof pen - for writing on dishes
• labels
• Notebook
• Pen/pencils for note taking
Always bring it with you when you are going to do tests or even just
to check up on your previous experiments.
I have included some of my logbook entries in the appendix as
further examples of to consider before doing any experiments.
RESEARCH

STARTING STRAIN
ACQUIRING A STRAIN
From the research conducted one should have a good idea of
what strain of mycelium to start working with. If you have
decided to work with a local strain then one option is to go out
and find it growing in the wild and dig it up.
I will not be looking into the spore collection, germination or the
isolation of the mycelium during this project but it is an option
when it comes to acquiring a strain of mycelium.
The other option is to buy it. Mycology is becoming a popular
hobby and many companies are selling Grow It Yourself (GIY)
kits that you can buy. The steps for growing a mycelium material
are very similar to those for growing mushrooms, up to a point.
Ideally, you will find a supplier nearby to reduce transportation
and keep the resources local but you may have to buy it online if
the fungus is not native to your region.
Oyster mushroom mycelium bought from local vendor
Oyster mushoom material Photo credit: Jonas Edvard

INOCULATION AND CULTURING
The reason that microbiological cultures are included into this
process is because it is important for students to have a funda-
mental understanding of the material they are working with. There
are a lot of variables involved and it can be a very time consuming
process but it will allow the students to comprehend how much time
and effort is involved in creating a material from ‘scratch’. It will also
enable the students to grow a constant supply of material so they
will not have to buy or collect more as their projects evolve.
A lot of disposable materials are required when first developing the
cultures. In the scientific lab, disposal petri dishes, plastic bags,
paper towels, sterilizing bags and plastic film are all heavily relied on
to create the first growth samples.
Glass petri dishes will be introduced to the Material Design Lab in an
effort to reduce the reliance on non-rewable materials.
Further reserach will be conducted to see if this is more sustainable
in the long run.
I have included the LifeCyle Assement (LCA) of both glass and plas-
tic petri dishes, to highlight the difference between these two mate-
rials.
CULTURING

LIMITED LIFECYCLE INVENTORY (LCI)
This is a the comparison between a plastic and glass
petri dish with the same lifetime. It is important to
note that the same timeline has been even to both
materials but it is presumed that the glass dish would
have a longer lifespan because it could be reused.
The average lifetime of a glass petri dish was not
available at the time of this assessment.

SOURCING FEEDSTOCK FOR MATERIAL GROWING
When it comes to feedstock for the mycelium to grow on, it is very much dependent on the strain of mycelium that one is
working with. The primary benefit of growing this material is that waste bypoducts from other industry can be used as the main
substrate to create composite materials. The source of the feedstock may also effect your materials properties so it is a good
idea to experiment with different waste feedstocks if possible. The questions to ask are:
• What are the waste streams within my vicinity?
Agricultural waste from farmland is not the only source of waste that can be used for mycelium materials, grains from
brewerys or bakers or perhaps even local restaurants should also be researched.
• Do I have to pay for it?
Try and find a feedstock that is considered waste material from another industry. Most local businesses are not going to
charge for their waste materials, especially if it is in small quantities. If you have to buy materials then you will need to ask
yourself if this new material you are making is going to add value.
• Can this waste source be composted at end of life?
Is the material compostable in its unaltered state? Can it biodegrade naturally or does it require an industrial process? It is
important to understand the lifecycle of all the components that make up the new composite material.
• Do I have the right facilities to store the feedstock?
Many times when a business can supply you with a waste material, it is usually in bulk. Consider when you will need to use
the material and if you have the facilities to store it. Does it need to be refridgerated? Does it need to be kept out of sun-
light?
FEEDSTOCK

FEEDSTOCK
STERILIZING FEEDSTOCK
If argicultural waste is being used as the substrate then it will
be necessary to sterilize it before inoculating it with the
mycelium.
This is because it is more than likely to be other organisms in
the feedstock and this contamination could affect the
mycelium growth. The sterilization process will kill most of the
organisms so that the mycelium being introduced will have a
better chance of flourishing without any competition.
There are different methods of sterilization.
Both an autoclave at the bioengineering lab and a regular fan
oven in the Material Design Lab were tried out.
Both come with their own set of problems.
The first set of plastic bags melted in the fan oven.
The autoclave requires specific specialized bags.
In the future, a pressure cooker will be used to sterilize the
substrate in Material Design Lab.
Hemp fibres(left) and hemp stalks(right) washed and ready for sterilization.
Two bag Hemp stalks prepared for sterilization -
one sample washed & one sample unwashed
Two bag of barley straw&lupinus husks sterilized -
one sample washed & one sample unwashed

EXPERIMENT
MATERIAL EXPERIMENTS
Once all the groundwork has been done and the cultures are
growing, it is time for the fun to begin.
• Wipe down the area you will be working in, all the equip-
ment and all instruments that you will need with ethanol.
You can hold the instruments over a flame to burn off the
alcohol quickly.
• Set out all the ingredients that you will need, just like you
would when preparing a meal.
• Quickly note down all the ingredients and take a snapshot.
• Make a control experiment
• Measure out and write down the weights of each portion of
material that you use.
• Try not to let your experiments be exposed for too long -
unless that is part of your experiment
• Make a label for each sample and mark it clearly.
• Take photos and take notes.
• Make the time to sit and document all your experiments in
your logbook and organise your photos by date.
• Check on your experiments regularly and again take notes
and photos
Material Design Lab
Material experiments

MATERIAL GROWING
When it comes to introducing the matrix (mycelium) to the substrate (feedstock) there are two growing options8
:
Closed Growing
• Closed containers - usually plastic bags
• Option used by small scale growers
• Does not require a lot of space
Opening Growing
• requires large spaces
• temperature and humidity of the space needs to be carefully measured
• Used for large scale production
In Material Design Lab the only option is to use a closed growing method. However, there are still some barriers to overcome to
ensure a successful process.
There is currently no way to keep a constant temperature or to regulate the humidity.
There is also a very limited amount of space.
The need to keep the samples in a clean room may prove problematic.
EXPERIMENT

EXPERIMENT
MISTAKES TO AVOID: Here I have a good sample of mycelium being
cultured but I forgot to write the date on the lid
and I don’t have an experiment number so it will
be difficult to know exactly which experiment I am
refering to in my notes.
Always make some type of note for each experiment,
You will not remember later!!!
If you forget to bring something to write with, then
leave the experiment for another time. It is not worth
it if you don’t know exactly what you did.
A normal fan oven does not operate the same as
an autoclave. You can ruin your samples if
you do not take the time to test something using
a small test sample. This can cost valuable time
in the experiment.

CREATING MOLDS/FRAMES
The mycelium is a living system so it is important to consider
the material being used as a mold.
Wood is a cellulose material so there is the possibility that the
mycelium material will start to grow onto the frame. For some
products this is a benefit. Furniture grown from mycelium
incorporates a wooden frame that the mycelium grows around
becoming part of the end product. Cardboard and other
cellulose materials can be used in this way.
Because living organisms are involved it may react to the mold
material. The only way to know for sure is trial and error.
Consider how many times you will need your mold.
If you want to make multiple forms then alternatives materials
should be considered:
Thermoplastic polymers such as ABS can be used in the vac-
cum machine at MDL to create reuseable molds.
Metal, glass, ceramic,plaster, cement and other materials
should also be considered for experimentation purposes.
CREATING A MOLD

TESTING
The tests to perform will depend on the material that is being
grown.
A mycelium that is grown for a 3D printer will not require the
same tests as a mycelium leather.
It is important to note there is no equipment available either in
Material Design Lab or the bioengineering lab that can
perform material tests that give acurate data.
It will be necessary to contact a materials science department
for this stage of the process.
Some of the tests to conduct:
Fire resistance
Chemical resistance
Impact resistance
Outdoor use
Water resistance
Tear resistance
Thermal conductivity
Acoustics
TESTING
Testing materials to see their reaction to different coatings

REPEAT THE PROCESS
Biofabrication is still a very new area of exploration. There is
still much we do not know and so much we have to learn.
Every step of the process can turn up more questions, which
leads to more experiments.
The journey of biofabrication does not end with testing. The
testing process will give you a better idea of what your
material is capable of, and what products it might be suited to,
or it might also lead you back to the drawing board.
As it involves working with living systems, material samples
may produce extremely different qualities and characteristics
each time. It will take many experiments and great patience
before any definite conclusions can be made about the
material.
The process should be designed so that you can go back into
the process at any stage.
REPEAT
Students working on material experiments

ACQUIRE A STRAIN
Where can you get the mycelium
strain you are after? You can go
into the forest and dig it up or you
can buy it from online.
RESEARCH
Find out all you can about the
properties and charcteristics of the
mycelium strain you want to work with.
CULTURE
The best reason to
culture your sample is
that it means you will not
have to continously source
a new sample.
SOURCE A FEEDSTOCK
One of the most critical things you
need to decide on is what your
feedstock is and where you can get a
supply. Many strains of mycelium can
grow on a variety of substrates so it
much more sustainable to source a
local waste supply.
EXPERIMENT
This is one of the most important
steps in the design process. Many
experiments must be made and
documentation of each test should be
kept. Living organisms are going to
react differently to even small chang
es and design students should try to
understand their material in various
conditions.
CREATE A MOLD
The choice of material for the mold will also
need to be considered carefully and you may
need to conduct a few experiments. Wooden
molds will have to be wrapped in plastic ﬁlm as
the organism may react to the cellulose etc. I
think it is also a good idea to experiment with
different mold materials.
TEST MATERIAL
To know the properties of the material it is
vital to test them to see if it is waterproof,
ﬁre resistant, tensile strength etc.
FLOW DIAGRAM OF
BIOFABRICATION
PROCESS
REPEAT
REPEAT
Before being able to even
think of a product, it is
important to go back into the
process and repeat various
stages to get a proper
understanding of the process

LEARNING OUTCOMES
There were many challenges with this process that provided valuable insight.
• Terminology
Words like ‘media’, ‘culture’ and ‘inoculate’ had very different meanings for me before I stepped into a biotechnology lab. It
can take awhile to adapt and understand what is being explained which can also slow down the process.
• Assumptions
I assumed that the scientists would have all the answers to my questions but this was not the case. This was also not their
field of expertise so I wasted time assuming they would know why a reaction happened the way it did during an experiment.
• Equipment
A lot of the equipment the biotechnology lab use is very expensive and will not be possible to aquire for MDL
• Facilities
The space and requirements needed to grow mycelium materials may not be possible to establish at MDL, at least not in
the near future.
• Lack of knowledge
I should have been much better prepared going into the lab. I initally thought it would be a good idea to go in as a ‘blank
slate’ so that I would not be bringing any preconceived notions, but in reality I wasted a lot of time.
• Patience
I did not see the point of doing 6 of the same experiments as I was more concerned over the waste of plastic petri dishes. I
grew very impatient with the repetition but in hindsight I would have had less work in the long run if I had run all the tests in
the beginning.
• Documentation
I did not enjoy the note taking and in the beginning I would sit and hurriedly write just before leaving. Many of these notes
are of no use to me as they do not make sense.

CONCLUSION
In order to sustainably design a successful educational process for biofabrication, the process should be broken up into the
individual stages, and each stage should have a process designed individually. An LCI should be done at each stage, to
understand the impacts of each step and try to find alternative methods if needed. Once this has been completed, a full LCA
can be conducted on the entire process of the material.
The need for a sterile environment for culturing may not be viable in MDL. However, it may be possible to set up a collaboration
with a biotech lab where the mycelium can be cultured there and then transorted to the MDL to innoculate the substrate
material. This may reduce the likelihood of contamination but it will make transparency more difficult and it will involve extra
transport and energy that will affect the LCA. This requires further research.
It is vital that a lecture is given explaining some basic information about fungi (or whatever living organism is being
experimented with) before any experiments are conducted and highlighting the need to do plenty of research before picking up
a petri dish.
I still think it is vital that students who work with biofabrication learn to culture their own strains but for now, I would
reccommend only teaching these techniques to small specialised groups of students who wish to go further with biofabrication
as opposed to making it a mandatory class for all students.
Given the time restraints and the multiple experiment failures, I was not able to get as far as I would have liked in this project
but I feel that what I did learn was invaluable and I will be able to take this knowledge and continue my investigations.
Biofabrication is a facinating topic and it is something that will continue to gather momentum. Right now, there is a lot of
unknown elements that need to be researched but it also means there is a lot of new knowledge to be learnt along the way.
I look forward to more discoveries!

FURTHER STUDY
• An open source database for the experiments the students carry out. With so little information available it would be valuable
to keep a record of all the different ‘recipes’ that students try out to help each other and grow the knowledge bank of
biofabrication.
• The logbook needs to be developed further to incorporate longer experiments. Some students will work with the current
logbook design in February which will allow for some qualitive and quantitive research opportunities.
• Going further, I think the educational process would not be a blending of the design process and scientific methods but more
about using the design process to design the experiments, the scientific methods to conduct the experiments, the design
process to design the molding experiments and the scientific methods to conduct thoses experiments and so on.

REFERENCES
1 - http://www.biofabricate.co/about/
2 - http://www.designandlivingsystems.com/about/
3 -Travaglini, S., J Noble, Professor PG Ross, and Professor CKH Dharan. “Mycology Matrix Composites.” Technical Conference , 2013.
4 -http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-secrets-of-the-wood-wide-web
5 - Robbins, Holly. Whole Systems Framework. 2016.
6 +8 - Lelivelt, R.J.J. The Mechanical Possibilities of Mycelium Materials. Eindhoven: Eindhoven university of technology , 2015.
7 - Capra, Fritjof. The web of Life. New York : Anchor Books, 1996.
FIGURE 1 - Yellowelanor.com

APPENDIX I
VISUALS:DATE: EXPERIMENT NO:
CONTROL:
INGREDIENTS:
COMMENTS/SKETCHES:
14-10-16
NONE
Test 1: Sterile water + sample of Grow It Yourself (GIY) material
Poured unmeasured amount of water onto the material
Test 2: Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) media
Added 420μl of sterilized water from Test 1
Test 3: Dichloran (18%) Glycerol agar (DG18) media
Test 4: GIY+sterile water+a sml amount of organic flour
Test 5: GIY+sterile water+DG18
Test 6: GIY+sterile water+PDA
Week 2:
The experiments were conducted in the lab without the air flow turned on in order
to replicate the conditions that might be found in Material Design Lab.
I wrote the contents of the experiments on the side of the dishes but I did not take
photos so it is hard to be sure which experiment is which.
Week 2: All the samples had a green mould. Some also had white and green mold.
I do not know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.
1-6

CONTROL:
INGREDIENTS:
COMMENTS/SKETCHES:
14-10-16
NONE
Test 1: Sterile water + sample of Grow It Yourself (GIY) material
Poured unmeasured amount of water onto the material
Test 2: Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) media
Test 3: Dichloran (18%) Glycerol agar (DG18) media
Test 4: GIY+sterile water+a sml amount of organic flour
Test 5: GIY+sterile water+DG18
Test 6: GIY+sterile water+PDA
Week 2:
The experiments were conducted in the lab without the air flow turned on in order
to replicate the conditions that might be found in Material Design Lab.
I wrote the contents of the experiments on the side of the dishes but I did not take
photos so it is hard to be sure which experiment is which.
Week 2: All the samples had a green mould. Some also had white and green mold.
I do not know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.
1-6

CONTROL:
INGREDIENTS:
COMMENTS/SKETCHES:
21-10-16
NONE
T1 - T4
T1: GIY (unmeasured amount) + 70 ml of water + sample from the petri dish 1 from
last week (sample had green spores) added to a plastic bag. I sealed the bag with a
rubber band and poked holes in it with a sharp blade. Shake bag well.
T2: GIY (unmeasured amount)+70 ml of water+organic flour+sample from the petri
dish 2 from last week (sample had yellow+green spores) added to a plastic bag. I
sealed the bag with a rubber band and poked holes in it with a sharp blade. Shake
bag well.
T3: GIY (unmeasured amount) + 70 ml of water + sample from the petri dish 3
(DG18) from last week (sample had a jelly like texture and green spores) added to a
plastic bag. I sealed the bag with a rubber band and poked holes in it with a sharp
blade. Shake bag well.
T4: GIY (unmeasured amount) + 70 ml of water + sample from the petri dish 3
(DG18) from last week (sample had a jelly like texture and green spores) added to a
plastic bag. I sealed the bag with a rubber band and poked holes in it with a sharp
blade. Shake bag well.
The experiments were conducted in the lab without the air flow turned on in order to
replicate the conditions that might be found in Material Design Lab.
I made sure to photograph the experiments with the labels showing.
There was no measuring scales in the lab to measure out the GIY material so I had to
estimate it.
I did not use sterilized water this time.
I did not make inoculate any more biomass.

CONTROL:
INGREDIENTS:
COMMENTS/SKETCHES:
21-10-16
NONE
I did remember to photograph each experiment individually. I saved each photo
with the list of ingredients. This saved a lot of time when I uploaded and sorted
the photos but it would have been a good idea to write the info on the lid for
visual referencing.
N/A

CONTROL:
INGREDIENTS:
COMMENTS/SKETCHES:
28-10-16 6
NONE
Oyster mushroom mycelium
PDA
Water - not sterilized
I was in a hurry so I didn’t write down my experiments right away. When it came
time to write everything down I had forgotten a lot.
This sample was the most contaminated of the experiments. If I had written down
my method I might be able to work out why it was more contaminated then the
others.

CONTROL:
INGREDIENTS:
COMMENTS/SKETCHES:
11-11-16 A
Water
Oyster mycelium
I shook the sample and then stored in the cupboard.
Due to the contamination I decided to use the airflow in the fume cupboard. Because
it was likely that the agar was contaminated I used empty petri dishes and sterilized
water.
One week later: The sample was white and no green mould.
My supervisor had a feeling that the agar was contaminated so we
used one dish of closed agar and one dish of agar that I left open
during the experiments as my controls.

APPENDIX II

Component Natural Environment
Where does it come from? Virgin Material Input/
Output
Detail Process Input/O
utput
Detail Input/
Output
Detail Input/
Output
Detail Input/
Output
Detail Input/
Output
Detail Input/
Output
Detail Input/
Output
Detail Input/
Output
Detail
Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, UK, Belgium Petri dish manufacturing Input Resources and infrastructure for glass
manufacturing
See Material processing Input Plastic packaging Input Resources and infrastructure to construct and operate
manufacturing plant
Transport Input Infrastructure from plant to distribution
centres
N/A Input Sterilizing Input Energy Reuse Input Water for cleaning Recycle Output Cullet
Australia, Indonesia,Malaysia. Vietnam, UK, Ireland Silica Sand Input Resources and infrastructure for raw
mineral mining
Input Energy Input Input Energy Input Vessels for transportation Input Input Water resouces Input Soap for cleaning Landfill Output
Input Energy for heavy machinery and
transportation
Input Resources and infrastructure to support
operations and maintenance, waste
management etc.
Input Input Solvents and lubricants for cleaning machines and
tools
Input Energy Input Input resources to manufacture ethanoyl Storage Input Infrastructure for storage Disassembly Input
Output Land degredation and disruption of
animal migration
Output worker accidents and heath impacts,
medical costs
Input Output Carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxides Output Air pollution, carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur
dioxides
Input Output Carbon emissions Disassembly Input
Input Carbon dioxide, carbon minoxide Input Water Input Output LDPE bags Output Land degredation, disruption of animal
migration
Input Output Waste from packaging Disassembly Input
medical costs
Input Furnaces for melting Input Cardboard boxes Input Resources and infrastructure to construct and operate
cardboard manufacturing plant
Input Congestion, traffic accidents Input Storage Input Energy for fridge Disassembly Input
Turkey, North America Soda Ash (sodium
carbonate)
Input Resources and infrastructure for ore
mining
Output ethane, propane, butane, and inerts
(nitrogen, carbon
dioxide, and helium)
Input Input Energy Distribution Input Land and resources for building
warehouses
Input Use Input Energy for ventilation Disassembly Input
transportation
Input Materials required for protective clothing Input Input Forestry products, Chemical adhesives Input Energy Input Input Disassembly Input
animal migration
Input Fining Input Input Water resources Output worker accidents and heath impacts,
medical costs
Input Input Disassembly Input
Output Carbon dioxide, carbon minoxide Input Conditioning Input Input Noise pollution, soil degredation, deforestation, water
pollution
Output e-waste for computer systems being
updated
medical costs
Input Forming Input Input Purchase Input Resources to manage logistics of shipping
operations
Input Water resources for settling and filtration
steps
Input Input Input Input Energy Input Input Disassembly Input
Everywhere Limestone Input Resources and infrastructure for
limestone quarrying
Input Input Input Input Input Input Disassembly Input
animal migration
transportation
Output Noise pollution Input Input Input Input Input Input Disassembly Input
Input Input Input Input Input Input Input Disassembly Input
End of Life Scenarios
Borosilicate Glass Petri Dishes
Lifecycle Form
Raw Material Extraction Material Processing Component Manufacturing Assembly & Packaging Transport/Distribution/Purchase Construction/Installation Use Phase Maintenance/Upgrading

Component Natural Environment
Where does it come from? Virgin
Material
Input/
Output
Detail Process Input/
Output
Detail Input/
Output
Detail Input/
Output
Detail Input/O
utput
Detail Input/O
utput
Detail Input/
Output
Detail Input/O
utput
Detail Input/O
utput
Detail
Arctic, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Mexico Crude Oil Input Resources and infrastructure to construct operations -
materials, vehicles, rigging etc.
Refining Input Resources and infrastructure to construct refinery
operations
Injection molding process Input Resources and infrastructure to construct
and operate manufacturing plant
Petri dish assembly Input Energy Transport Input Infrastructure from plant to distribution
centres
N/A Input Sterilizing Input Energy N/A Incineration Output
Input Resources and infrastructures to support operations,
food, computers, security, housing etc.
Input Energy Input Energy Input Health and safety checks Input Vessels for transportation Input Input Water resouces Landfill Output
Input Resources to transport workers to and from rigs Input Resources and infrastructure to support operations
and maintenance, waste management etc.
Metal shavings and coolant waste from
CNC machining of tools
Input Components for machinery Input Energy Input resources to manufacture ethanoyl
Input Energy to drill, for vehicles, transport of rigs, etc. Output oil spills, refinery effluent and byproduct spills, soil
contamination, water and aquifer contamination
medical costs
Input Heating unit Output Air pollution, carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur
dioxides
Input Output Carbon emissions Disassembly Input
Output oil spills, trucking accidents, damage to marine life, Output sulfur, sulfuric acid, nitrogen compounds, Input Solvents and lubricants for cleaning
machines and tools
Output Carbon Emissions Output Land degredation, disruption of animal
migration
Input Output Waste from packaging Disassembly Input
Output physical disruption of oil pipelines, disruption of
animal migrations, spill from leaking pipelines,
damage to aquifers, soil contamination, air pollution
Output fires, hydrogen sulfide, noise, air emissions, odors,
smog, sulphur dioxide (causes acid rain), nitrogen
oxide, carbon dioxide, carbon
Input Noise pollution Input Solvents and lubicants for cleaning
machines
Input Congestion, traffic accidents Input Storage Input Energy for fridge Disassembly Input
Output political unrest and military conflicts, harm or death to
civilians & soldiers
Output monoxide, methane, dioxins, hydrogen fluoride,
chlorine, benzene, etc.
Output e-waste for computer systems being
updated
Output Noise pollution Distribution Input Land and resources for building
warehouses
Input Use Input Energy for ventilation Disassembly Input
Output natural gas, natural gas flares, soot, soil
contamination from soot runoff, gas leaks, geological
disturbances
Output PRODUCTS: petroleum naphtha, gasoline, diesel
fuel,heavy gas, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene,
liquified petroleum gas, parafin wax, lubricating oil,
tar
medical costs
Input Energy Input Input Disassembly Input
Output explosions, leaks from drilling fluids Input Processes - fractional distillation, desalting,
Atmospheric distillation, vacuum distillation, thermal
cracking, visbreaking, coking, catalytic cracking,
steam cracking, Hydrotreating, Hydro processing,
unifacation, alteration Alkylation, Isomerization,
Polymerization, catalytic reforming, solvent
extraction, chemical treating, dewaxing, propane
deasphalting.
Input Plastic packaging Input Resources and infrastructure to construct
and operate manufacturing plant
medical costs
Output Visual and physical disruption of landscape with oil
wells, roads, workers,noise etc.
Output respiratory illnesses, cancer, birth defects, leukemia Input Input Energy Output e-waste for computer systems being
updated
Input Steel for tankers, trucks, rigs, etc. Output Nickel and cobalt compounds, ammonia, chromium
compounds, lead, mercury, methanol,
pheneanthene, phenol
Input Input Solvents and lubricants for cleaning
machines and tools
Purchase Input Resources to manage logistics of
shipping operations
Output worker accidents and heath impacts, medical costs Output worker accidents and heath impacts, medical costs Input Output Carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxides Input Energy Input Input Disassembly Input
Output Plastic
manufacturing
from oil
Input Resources and infrastructure to contruct chemical
plant operations
Input Output LDPE bags Input Input Input Disassembly Input
Input Input energy Input Cardboard boxes Input Resources and infrastructure to construct
and operate cardboard manufacturing
plant
Input Input Input Disassembly Input
Input Output the effects from processing the chemical additives
upstream
Input Input Energy Input Input Input Disassembly Input
Input Output processing chemical spills, worker health and safety
issues, cancer, leukemia, respiratory illnesses in
workers and people around the plants, fires,
explosions
Input Input Forestry products, Chemical adhesives Input Input Input Disassembly Input
Input General Purpose
Polystyrene
(GPPS) - from
benzene and
Input the alkylation of benzene with ethylene to produce
ethyl benzene, dehydrogenation of the ethyl
benzene to produce styrene
Input Input Water resources Input Input Input Disassembly Input
Input Input iron oxide, TBC (4-tert-butylcatechol) Input Input Noise pollution, soil degredation,
deforestation, water pollution
Input Input Input Disassembly Input
Input Input acrylates, methacrylates, acrylonitrile, butadiene,
divinyl benzene and maleic anhydride
Input Input Input Input Input Disassembly Input
Input Output worker accidents and heath impacts, medical costs Input Input Input Input Input Disassembly Input
Input Output Styrene monomer - carcinogen Input Input Input Input Input Disassembly Input
End of Life Scenarios
Polystrene Petri dishes
Lifecycle Form
Raw Material Extraction Material Processing Component Manufacturing Assembly & Packaging Transport/Distribution/Purchase Construction/Installation Use Phase Maintenance/Upgrading

Designing an Educational Process for Biofabrication

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Designing an Educational Process for Biofabrication

Similar to Designing an Educational Process for Biofabrication (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Designing an Educational Process for Biofabrication