Designer’s Guide to Lab Practice
Abstract and Figures
https://www.routledge.com/Designers-Guide-to-Lab-Practice/Crawford/p/book/9781032426846
This book explores the growing field of bio-design through interdisciplinary creative practice. The volume illustrates a range of experimental working techniques while offering a foundational understanding of lab practice principles. The book highlights the myriad of opportunities presented by microorganisms that have reshaped the planet and made it habitable.
The book provides an account of the creation of living materials from the point of view of an architectural design practitioner. The transition from traditional design practice to laboratory investigation is captured, highlighting strategies of creating partnerships across a range of fields. The book demonstrates laboratory methods and ways of investigating the development of living materials and celebrates the growing body of practitioners, scientists, activists and anthropologists who are reimagining new strategies for addressing contemporary environmental challenges.
Designer's Guide to Lab Practice looks at ways in which integrating living components with needs of their own would not only help offset the environmental impact that we have on our planet but could also create a closer relationship with nature. It is a working manual as well as a guide to emerging practitioners seeking to transition into a field that is yet to be defined and that offers the promise of a new era of human habitat making as a direct response to the looming ecological crisis.
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... It further cultivates tacit knowledge (Lonergan, 2022) essential in understanding biological behaviour within design lab settings. The use of technology is also an important pedagogy strategy in bio-design and thinking through making (Crawford, 2023). This can include the use of digital tools and platforms, such as 3D modelling software and virtual reality, to create and prototype designs, as well as access to online resources and databases. ...
... These include visits to scientific labs, guest speakers and interdisciplinary practitioners leading design sessions. In both the immersive interdisciplinary context as well as design courses open solely to design students, active learning remains an effective pedagogical strategy (Crawford, 2022b(Crawford, , 2023. This approach emphasizes student participation and engagement, and can include group discussions, problem-solving exercises, and other interactive activities. ...
... While many bio-design labs use affordable and accessible materials, there may still be limitations in terms of the type and quality of equipment that is available. This can impact the accuracy and reliability of results and limit the scope of research that can be conducted (Crawford, 2022a(Crawford, , 2023. ...
... Despite the great interest in this emerging professional figure, Biodesign is still a challenging field to enter (Crawford, 2023). To date, it is hard to tell if there is a real request from the market for what the community intends as a biodesigner (namely, a designer working across design and science). ...
... Designers might feel disoriented in a lab, especially if they lack previous experience. For this reason, as also reported by other designers who had a prolonged stay in scientific labs, following the work of colleagues and having informal conversations with them is essential to properly learn how to move around the laboratory and progress in the research (Sawa, 2016;Stefanova, 2021;Crawford, 2023). By the way, this is not an unusual condition, since labs often foresee shared workspaces, configured as more similar to a makerspace than a private design studio. ...
Biodesign is emerging as a radical design approach with great potential for the ecological turn, finally endorsed by some first academic courses providing designers with hybrid skills to embrace scientific disciplines. However, the resulting professional figure, the biodesigner, still needs to be better defined in the academic and grey literature, also considering the different and multiple facets that working between design and science may entail. This study presents four case studies of research through design (RTD), addressed by the author as an autoethnographic form of inquiry to clarify the roles a biodesigner could assume, emphasising the differences in methods, tools and workplaces, which inevitably affect the Biodesign outcomes. The author analyses her role as a biodesigner and designer in lab, working in teams and environments requiring different degrees of interdisciplinarity. Far from adopting a speculative approach, the RTDs focus on sustainable Material Design and Biodesign solutions that might be feasible in the short run, aiming to test the designer’s abilities in enriching scientific research and investigating the role and contribution designers can play in scientific contexts of different intensities. The study demonstrates the possibility of a reciprocal knowledge transfer between design and science, highlighting the potential of the designerly way of knowing in bringing innovation to the scientific field.
... As artifacts, bioreactors are primarily an engineering achievement, in which the interplay of physical, chemical and biological parameters plays a fundamental role in its performance and stability. Bioreactors are also used outside of the context of the wet lab or the biomanufacturing plant by architects and bio-designers to understand the cultural potential and stakes of microbiologic fabrication in everyday life (Parker, 2023;Crawford, 2024). As technical apparatus, bioreactors can take multiple forms but are generally hermetic objects connected to a supporting infrastructure of sensors, control systems, and mechanism, that provide and extract substances and serve a single function: to provide an optimal environment for living cells to grow effectively (Mandenius, 2016). ...
This paper contributes to the search for novel design principles for an interspecies architecture. Departing from the design and realisation of the installation 'Pepeyoca-light from within': a bio-digitally crafted living wall, we examine emerging design strategies that can entangle human and more-than-human concerns at multiple scales and across distinct life forms. By focusing on bioluminescent bacteria as a living light source and heather as a soil remediator and oxygen producer, the paper presents novel design strategies for circular interdependency in which multiple species directly support and provide foundational conditions for one another. We describe and discuss novel design and fabrication drivers that reject anthropocentric notions of functionalisation instead bringing the bioreactor out of the lab and into a shared living arena. This is done across multiple steps, ideating the role and performance of an interspecies architecture, searching for interdependencies and developing care protocols to steer their balance.
... Figure 1 illustrates the bonding strategies that we implemented. 31 Bonding strategies included: ...
This study explores methods for laminating and myco-welding pure mycelium leather sheets, providing a comprehensive approach to fabricating large-scale mycelium-based textiles. Techniques such as multi-layer lamination with pure mycelium pellicles and combinations of natural and synthetic fibers are investigated to enhance material strength. The method overcomes associated contamination risks of mycelium leather growth and demonstrates a three-week growing period using various types of waste, indicating a significant decrease in the production time compared to animal-derived leather. These methods aim to solve challenges in the open-source decentralized large-scale production of continuous mycelium leather sheets by creating biological patchworks via grafting of smaller units. The study demonstrates ways to join pure mycelium leather units to generate extensive nonwoven mycelium textiles suitable for the construction industry. The work addresses issues related to continuous sheet production on a large scale and the repair of damaged landscapes via the bioremediation potentials of these emerging textile alternatives. The paper also showcases the creation of three-dimensional leather upholstery and the use of this product for interior architecture applications and proposes a counter approach to widely accepted planned obsolescence strategies. The fabrication potential of the work is demonstrated through a prototype titled "Second Skin" which acts as a sustainable alternative to traditional interior textiles that meet specific material property behaviors and offer aesthetic flexibility, the chair being the first of a series of interior studies. The study highlights the scalability of mycelium leather production and the potential for these materials to reimagine interior aesthetics and design applications.
... The increasing efforts of ecological design research over the past decade have prepared the ground for bio-based practices in design and the development of new materials. Designers focusing on specific organisms such as mycelium, microalgae, bacteria et al., have begun to adopt laboratory environments, their scientific protocols and tools for developing a new interdisciplinary design research methodology commonly referred to as "biodesign" (Myers, 2018;Crawford, 2023). The transition from mining natural resources to cultivating them marks a paradigm shift in a bio-based material production (Hebel & Heisel, 2017). ...
Migrating reefs, unprecedented species assemblages, neophytes, toxicities, pollutants, aquatic ruins – The future of coral reefs in the Anthropocene is likely to look different from anything we have experienced so far. While the classic conservation debate on coral reef restoration still treats these ecosystems as “sick patients,” a radically different view of convivial conservation is beginning to challenge exclusive human control over these endangered habitats. Putting aside notions of natural “purity” and adopting a much more humble and highly interconnected perspective on marine habitats, we can begin to see reefs as transformative, sympoïetic and blasted seascapes for a convivial future. The discipline of biodesign has been primarily focussed on researching ecological relationships with regard to new materials and products. The emerging interest in shaping the multi-layered ecological relationships of habitats for other-than-human lives, however, is steering design practice towards terraforming or, in the case of marine environments, “aquaforming.” This paper argues for taking convivial conservation practices in marine environments as a starting point for the development of a new design methodology that focuses on the design of living systems in open environments: a proposed methodology called Sympoïetic Design.
... Fisher's work was initially applied to agricultural research, but it was soon adapted for use in other fields, including manufacturing, engineering, and medicine [9]. Since then, many scientists and statisticians have contributed to DOE development and its application in different fields [9][10][11][12]. ...
This chapter explores the applications and benefits of Design of Experiments (DOE) in the context of quality control and quality assurance. DOE is a statistical methodology that enables researchers and practitioners to systematically investigate and optimize processes, identify critical factors affecting quality, and reduce variability and waste. This chapter begins by introducing the overview and definitions of DOE, covering topics such as the history of DOE, types of DOE, steps involved in conducting DOE, and key components of DOE. The specific applications of DOE in quality control and quality assurance were explored, highlighting their importance across various industries. It demonstrates how DOE can be effectively applied to optimize products and processes, reduce defects and variation, improve quality, implement Six Sigma, and validate and verify processes. It then delves into the specific applications of DOE in quality control and assurance, highlighting its significance in various industries and sectors. Furthermore, the book addresses challenges and considerations in implementing DOE in real-world scenarios, such as resource constraints, experimental constraints, and data analysis complexities. It provides basic information on software tools commonly used in DOE.
Recently, there has been a growing attention in the HCI community on leveraging biological affordances of living organisms to expand interaction possibilities. Current interests range from the development of grown materials for interactive products to the design of bio-digital systems. To facilitate such work, biological practices are no longer only undertaken in professional laboratories, but also increasingly in fabrication settings. In this paper, we aim to provide an understanding of considerations and strategies that could inform future infrastructural designs for working with living organisms. Our insights are drawn from site visits and interviews in Western European locations currently exploring this domain. Building on our findings, we argue that the infrastructural designs of these spaces are not defined by discrete material entities, but instead, point towards conditions which are cultivated differently in each context.
Biodesign, an exploratory field merging design and science, represents a modern approach to transdisciplinary work, bridging traditional divides through a hybrid of practices ranging from vernacular methods to synthetic biology. The importance of both educational curricula and workplace environments in nurturing these hybrid roles is paramount, with a following focus on how laboratory spaces can support biodesigners. Historical evolution has seen laboratories transition from alchemical spaces to highly specialized areas, reflecting the changing self-perception of the natural sciences. However, the rise of Biodesign necessitates a reassessment of these spaces, making them more adaptable to the needs of cross-disciplinary work. The article examines how laboratory environments, varying from low-tech to high-tech setups, influence Biodesign practices and education, highlighting the balance between creative freedom and necessary regulations. It stresses the importance of considering laboratory space in Biodesign education to foster a conducive learning environment for working with living materials and adhering to safety standards. Additionally, it explores the potential of various laboratory configurations to accommodate Biodesign’s hybrid nature, potentially developing unique spatial typologies. Through analyzing different laboratory environments, the article aims to enhance understanding of their role in Biodesign, suggesting that a reimagined approach to these spaces can facilitate transdisciplinary collaborations and serve as a foundation for future innovations at the intersection of design and science.
This research investigates a novel method for cultivating mycelium-based leather substitutes using a carefully formulated paste consistency substrate. The primary objectives are to enhance nutrient availability, facilitate scalability, and streamline cultivation processes. The study spans a 21-day cultivation period, during which a flower-based medium is employed, eliminating the need for labor-intensive harvesting techniques. Two fungal species, Ganoderma lucidum (rishi) and Pleurotus djamor (pink oyster) are tested to assess their compatibility with the growth method. These species were chosen based on their rapid colonization rates and inherent resilience. The investigation delves into various combinations of crosslinking agents, including glycerol (a plasticizer), commercial tanner, citric acid, and magnesium sulfate. The effects of these agents on tensile strength are compared and qualitative data is analyzed through the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and stereo microscopy. Furthermore, the study explores the fabrication potential of non-woven textiles derived from mycelium, emphasizing their suitability as eco-friendly leather alternatives. Scaled prototypes are highlighted to demonstrate their feasibility. Post-treatment processes, such as dyeing with bio-based dyes and acrylic leather paint, are evaluated for their aesthetic impact. The research contributes a biodegradable material alternative that addresses the environmental challenges of high textile consumption. The findings add to the growing body of sustainable design methods in the realm of leather-like materials in bio-design.
The living mycelium networks are capable of efficient sensorial fusion over very large areas and distributed decision making. The information processing in the mycelium networks is implemented via propagation of electrical and chemical signals en pair with morphological changes in the mycelium structure. These information processing mechanisms are manifested in experimental laboratory findings that show that the mycelium networks exhibit rich dynamics of neuron-like spiking behaviour and a wide range of non-linear electrical properties. On an example of a single real colony of Aspergillus niger , we demonstrate that the non-linear transformation of electrical signals and trains of extracellular voltage spikes can be used to implement logical gates and circuits. The approaches adopted include numerical modelling of excitation propagation on the mycelium network, representation of the mycelium network as a resistive and capacitive network and an experimental laboratory study on mining logical circuits in mycelium bound composites.
terile rooms or reach-in boxes were used to prevent contamination of cultures in early work with plant tissue and embryo culture. The new sterile hoods, which are a spinoff of the aerospace program (2), make continuous work at transferring tissue cultures comfortable and reduce contamination. The laminar flow hood, evaluated by Coriell and McGarrity (1), is particularly comfortable and effective. These hoods are large, heavy, and expensive pieces of equipment and not entirely suitable for protoplast manipulation and other microscope work. This report will describe a sterile hood, which can be built easily with readily obtainable components and has advantages over many of the available commercial units. The laminar flow hood described is reasonably portable and minimizes vibration of the work surface, making it ideal for microscope work.
Many studies were conducted to maintain the environment by reducing the waste, especially pineapple peel waste. This study aims to explore the effect of various pressure of the homogenization process on bacterial cellulose membrane surface morphology and structure produced using extract of pineapple peel waste. The methods include the preparation of pellicle samples from the product of the fermentation process of Acetobacter xylinum using a medium from the extract of pineapple peel waste. Bacterial cellulose pellicles were crushed using a blender. Mashed bacterial cellulose pellicle then homogenized in High-Pressure Homogenizer with pressure variation of 0 bar, 150 bar, 300 bar, 450 bar, dan 600 bar then cast into a mold. The bacterial cellulose solutions were dried in an oven at 60°C for 8 hours. The dried bacterial cellulose membrane was analyzed using XRD for the structure and SEM analysis for the morphology. The results indicate that the crystalline properties of BCM were shifted after being treated by various pressure processing in a High-Pressure Homogenizer. It was found that the High-Pressure Homogenizer with higher pressure reduced the peak intensity, decreased crystalline index from 87% to 70%, and decreased the degree of crystalline from 88% to 77% without changing the cellulose structure. The higher pressure of the homogenization process causes the porosity of the membrane to be decreased.
Recently, increasing attention has been given to bacterial cellulose-based membranes to be applied as dressings for healing purposes. Bacterial cellulose (BC) is an attractive biomaterial due to its unique structural characteristics such as high porosity, high water retention capacity, high mechanical strength, low density, and biodegradability. One drawback of bacterial cellulose hydrogels is that, after the first dehydration, the water retention capacity is hindered. In this work we produced, modified, and characterized hydrated and de-hydrated BC membranes for biomedical applications. Two crosslinking methods were adopted (using citric acid and epichlorohydrin as crosslinking agents), and the results obtained from the characterization, such as water retention capacity, mechanical properties or contact angle, were compared to those of unmodified bacterial cellulose. We demonstrate that the cross-linked bacterial cellulose membranes present physical properties suitable to be used as wound dressings when hydrated, or as exuding wound dressings, when dehydrated.
The paper discusses the implications of placing artificial structures within ocean ecologies and the culture of human interventions that aid ecological networks. The role of the architect is examined in relationship to the design and development of non-human habitats and the potential for utilizing architectural skills within interdisciplinary collaborations with scientific partners. Here we propose an expanded agency of the architect within addressing ecological problems in the Anthropocene. Our work explains the design and digital fabrication process for generating prototypes of artificial substrates for the settlement of sexually produced coral larvae to be used for outplanting in natural reef ecosystems for restoration initiatives. The project CoralPlugs builds on existing strategies for propagating corals in coral reef ecosystems affected by coral bleaching, aiming to provide substrates that are affordable to outplant on a large scale and that would protect coral colonies from fish grazing and algal growth in the early stages of development. The proposed designs were optimized with the organism's needs and 3D printing in mind to provide structures that can be fabricated locally by communities through open-source distribution of digital blueprints.
The increasing experimental investigations of Mycelium-Based Composites (MBC) in design and architecture necessitate efforts from pedagogues to find ways to transmit knowledge and support regarding the guiding principles of mycology so as to empower students in their investigations and study. The adoption of MBC craft in arts and applied arts offers much potential in extending the space of material semiotics as it is often accompanied by several theoretical and systemic interests, such as the urge to adopt alternative ontologies of nature or implementing thoroughly sustainability in the economy. To support these critical reflections and exploring novel formal expressions we have developed a stochastic simulation model of fungal colonisation for design education and research in MBC. In this paper we present the conceptual and technical framework guiding the model's development with specific focus on its role as a pedagogical instrument. We report on its pedagogical impact based on a students survey and their productions.
The perceptions and definitions of healthy indoor environments have changed significantly throughout architectural history. Today, molecular biology teaches us that microbes play important roles in human health, and that isolation from them puts not only us but also other inhabitants of urban landscapes, at risk. In order to provide an environment that makes honeybees more resilient to environmental changes, we aim for combining the thermal insulation functionality of mycelium materials with bioactive therapeutic properties within beehive constructions. By identifying mycelial fungi’s interactions with nest-related materials, using digital methods to design a hive structure, and engaging in additive manufacturing, we were able to develop a set of methods for designing and fabricating a fully grown hive. We propose two digital methods for modelling 3D scaffolds for micro-super organism co-occupation scenarios: “variable-offset” and “iterative-subtraction”, followed by two inoculation methods for the biofabrication of scaffolded fungal composites. The HIVEOPOLIS project aims to diversify and complexify urban ecological niches to make them more resilient to future game changers such as climate change. The combined functions of mycelium materials have the potential to provide a therapeutic environment for honeybees and, potentially, humans in the future.
Designing with biological materials as a burgeoning approach in the architecture field requires the development of new design strategies and fabrication methods. In this paper, we question if designers can use a parametric design approach while working with living materials. The research uses fungi as a biomaterial probe to experiment with the parametric behavior of living systems. Running design experiments using fungi helps to understand the extent to which biological systems can be considered parametric and, if so, what kind of parametric systems they are. Answering these questions provides a method to work with complex biological systems and may lead to new approaches of fabricating materials by tuning the environmental parameters of biological growth.
Various industrial and agricultural waste have been using for bacterial cellulose (BC) production. This study aims to apply the rice-washed water and tofu processing wastewater as a growth medium to synthesize BC replacing Hestrin-Schramm (HS) medium by Komagataeibacter xylinus with the addition of sodium glutamate. The fermentation was carried out under static conditions for 5, 10, and 15 days at room temperature. The characteristics of BC were analyzed by SEM, XRD, and UTM for mechanical properties, whereas the yield was calculated from the dry weight. SEM images confirmed the formation of dense rod-shaped nanofibers configuration, and X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that BC had a typical crystalline form of the cellulose Iα. The yield from rice-washed water (RW) and tofu processing wastewater (TW) was slightly higher than from the HS medium. The highest yield of BC from RW, TW, and HS medium on the day 15 was 2.63 g/l, 3.80 g/l, and 2.55 g/l, respectively. Therefore, rice-washed water and tofu processing wastewater can use as a replacement for the role of Hestrin-Schraam (HS) medium. The yield increased when the medium was enriched with 1 % (w/v) sodium glutamate, became 4.47 g/l, 4.63 g/l, and 3.37 g/l for RW, TW, and HS, correspondingly. However, the addition of sodium glutamate lowered the tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and crystallinity. Both liquid wastewaters are considered as low-cost and sustainable alternative resources for BC production.
Within architecture, microalgae are employed to address sustainability issues and mitigate the impacts of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This study proposes digital fabrication of ceramic ‘living’ building components as an investigative tool for design conditions. The health of the chlorophyte (green) microalga Chlorella vulgaris was monitored over two-week periods when immobilized in kappa carrageenan and clay binder-based hydrogels, and grown on a range of digitally fabricated ceramic components. The use of 3D printing is presented in relation to laboratory testing of controlled substrate variables including the impact of ceramic firing temperature, component wall thickness, three types of geometry for exploring cell growth, surface patterns to investigate cell migration, internal chamber subdivisions and clay type. The experiments reveal the benefits and limitations of creating micro-ecologies for algae growth through the introduction of geometry variation. In this study, the natural organismal sensing abilities are explored as a means for cell distribution.
This article presents a comparative analysis of bacterial cellulose membranes synthesized by several strains of the Komagataeibacter genus in terms of their specific physical, physico-chemical, and mechanical properties. Herein, the aim was to choose the most suitable microorganisms producing cellulosic materials with the greatest potential for the fabrication of bio-inspired nanocomposites. The selection was based on three main steps, starting from the evaluation of BNC biosynthetic efficiency with and without the addition of ethanol, followed by the assessment of mechanical breaking strength, and the physical parameters (compactness, structural integrity, appearance, and thickness) of the obtained biological materials. Ultimately, based on the performed screening procedure, three efficiently growing strains (K. hansenii H3 (6Et), K. rhaeticus K4 (8Et), and Komagataeibacter sp. isolated from balsamic vinegar (12Et)) were chosen for further modifications, enabling additional cellulose functionalization. Here, supplementation of the growth medium with five representative polymeric compounds (citrus/apple pectin, wheat starch, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol) led to significant changes in BNC properties, especially dye loading abilities, mechanical strength, and water adsorption/retention capacities. The resulting nanocomposites can be potentially useful in various fields of medicine and industry, and in the future, they may become a practical and cost-effective competitor against commercial biomaterials currently available on the market.
A growing awareness of architecture's environmental responsibility is encouraging a shift from an industrial age to an ecological one. This shift emphasises a new era of materiality, characterised by a special focus on bio-polymers. The potential of these materials is to address unsustainable modes of resource consumption, and to rebalance our relationship with the natural. However, bio-polymers also challenge current design and manufacturing practices, which rely on highly manufactured and standardized materials. In this paper, we present material experiments and digital design and fabrication methodologies for cellulose-based composites, to create porous biodegradable panels. Cellulose, the most abundant bio-polymer on Earth, has potential for differentiated architectural applications. A key limit is the critical role of additive fabrication methods for larger scale elements, which are a subject of ongoing research. In this paper, we describe how controlling the interdependent relationship between the additive manufacturing process and the material grading enables the manipulation of the material's performance, and the related control aspects including printing parameters such as speed, nozzle diameter, air flow, etc., as well as tool path trajectory. Our design exploration responds to the emerging fabrication methods to achieve different levels of porosity and depth which define the geometry of a panel.
Bacterial cellulose is a naturally occurring polysaccharide with numerous biomedical applications that range from drug delivery platforms to tissue engineering strategies. BC possesses remarkable biocompatibility, microstructure, and mechanical properties that resemble native human tissues, making it suitable for the replacement of damaged or injured tissues. In this review, we will discuss the structure and mechanical properties of the BC and summarize the techniques used to characterize these properties. We will also discuss the functionalization of BC to yield nanocomposites and the surface modification of BC by plasma and irradiation-based methods to fabricate materials with improved functionalities such as bactericidal capabilities.
Kombucha is a fermented tea made from a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast (SCOBY) with a long history of use as a health tonic. It is likely that most health benefits come from the tea and fermentation metabolites from specific microbial communities. Despite its growing importance as a functional health drink, the microbial ecosystem present in kombucha has not been fully documented. To characterize the microbial composition and biochemical properties of ‘The Good Brew’ original base kombucha, we used metagenomics amplicon (16S rRNA and ITS) sequencing to identify the microbial communities at the taxonomic level. We identified 34 genera with 200 microbial species yet described in kombucha. The dominance of organic acid producing microorganisms Acetobacter, Komagataeibacter and Starmerella are healthy for the human gut and their glucose metabolising activities have a putative role in preventing conditions such as diabetes and obesity. Kombucha contains high protein (3.31 µg/mL), high phenolic content (290.4 mg/100 mL) and low sugars (glucose: 1.87 g/L; sucrose 1.11 g/L; fructose: 0.05 g/L) as compared to green tea. The broad microbial diversity with proven health benefits for the human gut suggests kombucha is a powerful probiotic. These findings are important to improve the commercial value of kombucha and uncover the immense prospects for health benefits.
Background
While mycelium is considered a promising alternative for fossil-based resins in lignocellulosic materials, the mechanical properties of mycelium composite materials remain suboptimal, among other reasons due to the weak internal bonds between the hyphae and the natural fibres. A solution could be provided by the hybridisation of mycelium materials with organic additives. More specifically, bacterial cellulose seems to be a promising additive that could result in reinforcing mycelium composites; however, this strategy is underreported in scientific literature.
Results
In this study, we set out to investigate the mechanical properties of mycelium composites, produced with the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor, and supplemented with bacterial cellulose as an organic additive. A methodological framework is developed for the facile production of bacterial cellulose and subsequent fabrication of mycelium composite particle boards based on a hybrid substrate consisting of bacterial cellulose and hemp in combination with a heat-pressing approach. We found that, upon adding bacterial cellulose, the internal bond of the composite particle boards significantly improved.
Conclusions
The addition of bacterial cellulose to mycelium composite materials not only results in a strengthening of internal bonding of mycelium material, but also renders tuneable mechanical properties to the material. As such, this study contributes to the ongoing development of fully biological hybrid materials with performant mechanical characteristics.
The transition from a linear to a circular economy is urgently needed to mitigate environmental impacts and loss of biodiversity. Among the many potential solutions, the development of entirely natural-based materials derived from waste is promising. One such material is mycelium-bound composites obtained from the growth of fungi onto solid lignocellulosic substrates, which find applications such as insulating foams, textiles, packaging, etc. During growth, the fungus degrades and digests the substrate to create a web-like stiff network called mycelium. The development of the mycelium is influenced by several factors, including the substrate composition. As food waste accounts for nearly 44% of total municipal solid waste, incorporating food in the substrate composition could be a means to increase the nutrients absorbed by the fungus. In this paper, we study the effects of the addition of food supplements on the growth of two fungal species, Ganoderma lucidum and Pleurotus ostreatus. The substrates, the food supplements, and the mycelia are characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and optical microscopy. Our results show that addition of barley as a supplement significantly boosts the growth of G. lucidum and P. ostreatus. Using a common food as a nutritious enrichment for the development of mycelium is a simple and straightforward strategy to create waste-based mycelium-bound biocomposites for a large range of applications, on-site, therefore promoting a circular economy.
Fungal construction materials—substrates colonised by mycelium—are getting increased recognition as viable ecologically friendly alternatives to conventional building materials. A functionality of the constructions made from fungal materials would be enriched if blocks with living mycelium, known for their ability to respond to chemical, optical and tactile stimuli, were inserted. We investigated how large blocks of substrates colonised with mycelium of Ganoderma resinaceum responded to stimulation with heavy weights. We analysed details of the electrical responses to the stimulation with weights and show that ON and OFF stimuli can be discriminated by the living mycelium composites and that a habituation to the stimulation occurs. Novelty of the results cast in the reporting on changes in electrical spiking activity of mycelium bound composites in response to a heavy loads.
The most commonly occurring biopolymer, cellulose, is typically extracted from plants and trees after harsh chemical processing. Bacterial cellulose (BC), produced by a simple fermentation process using sugar-rich media, is superior to plant cellulose owing to its purity, porosity, crystallinity, water holding capacity, and nanofibrous nature. However, the application of BC is still limited owing to the need for application-specific tunability. The benchtop production of BC in a controlled environment allows in situ tunability of its structure and morphology during synthesis (pre-production and during-production), in addition to the conventional post-production strategies. A review of literature on various modification strategies with an emphasis on in situ modifications is presented and their capability to alter crystallinity, porosity, nanofiber dimensions, mechanical properties, and yield are discussed in detail. This review concludes with a section dedicated to the future scope of applications of BC which can be primarily enabled by in situ modifications.
Graphic abstract
Laminar flow cabinets (LFCs) ensure a safe working space within which product manipulation can be carried out safely excluding contaminations of the product with the environmental microorganisms. However, for environmental monitoring applications mobile laboratories are required and these prefer the lighter gloveboxes (GB; restricted arm movement) or still air boxes (SAB; free arm movement) over the heavier, more expensive LFCs, which need to be regularly maintained. Nevertheless, the efficiency of simple GBs/SABs (no HEPA filter), in providing semi-sterile working conditions has yet to be clearly defined. Consequently, our aim was to assess the suitability of GBs/SABs for semi-sterile applications by using passive and active bioaerosol sample collection procedures within the interior spaces of these boxes. Prior to sample collection the boxes were pre-treated with different spraying preparations (70% ethanol, 2% detergent or sterile water). For a greater restriction of bioaerosol entry, SABs were constructed with covered arm ports and these were classified as partially covered (SABPC) and completely covered SABs (SABCC). Results showed that ethanol sprayed GB and SABCC exhibited microbial aerosol colony counts of zero after one hour of passive sample collection, and active sample collection revealed counts ranging between 1.9 (for GB) - 2.3 Log10CFU/m³ (for SABCC). However, ethanol sprayed SAB and SABPC were ineffective having colony counts of 6.9 and 6.5 Log10CFU/m³, respectively. Other spraying regimes resulted in even higher colony counts (up to 7.3 Log10CFU/m³). Therefore, the ethanol sprayed GB and SABCC could effectively be used for semi-sterile applications, with the SABCC allowing for an unrestricted arm movement within it.
BACKGROUND
Recycling food wastes into high‐value‐added products not only impacts beneficially on the environment but also on local economies. Mango wastes represent more than 92 000 tons per year in Peru. Bioconversion of mango waste into bacterial cellulose (BC) can provide valuable products in biomedicine.
RESULTS
Screening of BC producers in kombucha tea allows the selection of wild‐type strains. One of the selected wild‐type strains, named SU12, was cultured in batch using Hestrin–Schramm (HS) synthetic medium under static conditions and was able to produce a membrane in the liquid–air interface. The membrane was purified and characterized by chemical (Congo red), spectroscopic (Fourier transform infrared), thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetric techniques as BC. The strain SU12 was tested using chemical and molecular techniques (16S rRNA) and identified phylogenetically as Komagataeibacter rhaeticus SU12 with 99.85% similarity and 96.5/1/98 values of Shimodaira–Hasegawa approximate similarity test/aBayes/bootstrap analyses. HS medium supplemented with mango extracts was optimized using Plackett–Burmann's design followed by factorial design of relevant parameters and adjusted by regression to a first‐order polynomial equation. Optimized major parameters of mango extract, yeast extract, ethanol concentration and incubation time produced 25.34 g L⁻¹ dry cellulose in 21 days.
CONCLUSIONS
The study demonstrated the isolation of wild‐type strain identified as K. rhaeticus SU12 capable of producing BC using synthetic medium supplemented with extracts of mango wastes and high BC production comparable with other members of the same species. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
The emergence of biodesign opens new ways for textile design and production processes by e.g. using living organisms directly for growing or dyeing textiles. Researchers and designers who engage in such practices often describe their processes as a collaboration with the living. Since maintenance or acts of caring are often fundamental for a successful result, supportive environments for the living are created. However, most of the organisms are only used to carry out a specific task given by the designers’ intention, e.g., excreting pigments to dye a piece of silk, and are killed after the successful completion of the “collaborative” project, which is one of the reasons why the anthropocentric perspective remains an integral part of the textile design process.
This research aims to challenge the anthropocentrism inherent in textile design methodologies. Drawing from the work of Donna Haraway, in this exploratory paper, I advocate for exploring more than anthropocentric and multispecies perspectives to textile design by understanding the textile design practice as a way of being-with and staying-with, rather than as a solution-driven practice. Therefore, I revisit and reflect on three stories that derived from encounters between humans and insects in shared textile contexts. The stories on multispecies cohabitation resulted from the autobiographic research ‘Textile Farming’. Weaving connections between contemporary approaches to design, this paper proposes a conceptual framework of the levels that designers can engage with the living e.g., designing with, for, or together with living organisms up to living-with and becoming-with. I found these reflections to offer valuable perspectives to reflect on, analyze, and discuss processes in which living organisms play a role. Consequently, the paper contributes to reflective practice and opens up the textile design practice towards open-ended events as a more than anthropocentric approach to designing textiles.
There is a groundswell of interest in applying phototrophic microorganisms, specifically microalgae and cyanobacteria, for biotechnology and ecosystem service applications. However, there are inherent challenges associated with conventional routes to their deployment (using ponds, raceways and photobioreactors) which are synonymous with suspension cultivation techniques. Cultivation as biofilms partly ameliorates these issues; however, based on the principles of process intensification, by taking a step beyond biofilms and exploiting nature inspired artificial cell immobilisation, new opportunities become available, particularly for applications requiring extensive deployment periods (e.g., carbon capture and wastewater bioremediation). We explore the rationale for, and approaches to immobilised cultivation, in particular the application of latex-based polymer immobilisation as living biocomposites. We discuss how biocomposites can be optimised at the design stage based on mass transfer limitations. Finally, we predict that biocomposites will have a defining role in realising the deployment of metabolically engineered organisms for real world applications that may tip the balance of risk towards their environmental deployment.
Investigation into healthcare facilities involves dealing with multiple spheres beyond the technological, physical and psychological. Nowadays, the growing emphasis on wellbeing goes beyond the seminal ideas that modern buildings were cleansing machines, or that modern architecture and urbanism were shaped by bacteria. Presenting some stimulating philosophically-orientated essays, this journal makes a link between the Modern Movement and what we have entitled the “Cure and Care” concept, connecting health and the environment, body and design. Considering healthcare buildings and their role in the welfare policy of societies, the discussion addresses future challenges, driven by developments in technology and medicine, envisaging a key role for healthcare facilities in ensuring a sustainable built environment.
This study outlines the development of clay and ceramic-based living biocomposite materials under minimal moisture environments. The biocomposites supported live and metabolically active photosynthetic microorganisms (microalgae). The work sets out laboratory testing strategies to assess the limiting conditions for life within living materials to inform the conditions needed for sustained operation. Combinations of clay/ceramic-based substrate types, nutrient loadings, amounts of moisture exposures, and operation times were explored. As a result, microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris) colonized both clay and ceramic forms, showing operational longevity of 100 days, even with low nutrient exposure. Further iterations of these sustainable living materials may prove useful for local potential carbon dioxide removal to improve air quality and reduce the carbon footprint and operation costs of mechanically ventilated spaces.
A new road map for design is emerging out of interdisciplinary research across biology and design. Whilst in the second part of the twentieth century, the emergence of the digital realm altered and radically challenged conventional design and manufacturing processes, the beginning of the twenty-first century marks a strong shift towards the amalgamation of the binary code (1s and 0s) with biological systems. With advances in synthetic biology, we can now ‘biofabricate’ like Nature does. By tinkering and altering the DNA code or the environment of growth of living organisms, we can effectively ‘design’ and grow new biomaterials. The role of design is shifting from working with inanimate matter such as plastic and metals to making with animate living entities such as mycelium, yeast and bacteria. This paradigm shift promises to open up new possibilities for biofabricating future intelligent materials as well as for engaging with new sustainable processes. This paper examines strategies and tools for designing with living systems and proposes a framework for design to engage with our future bio-materiality. From biofabrication experiments to synthetic biology propositions, the paper will investigate a series of design artifacts that explores strategies such as co-designing with natural organisms or actuating a new synthetic nature and develop a critique of how biodesign can help shifting towards the crafting of a future sustainable intelligent bio-materiality.
Background:
Persistent corneal epithelial defect (PED) is a consequence of many ocular surface disorders. Although many therapies have been suggested, the treatment of this disease have faced a lot of difficulties up to now. The transplatation of cultivated amniotic epithelial cells sheets is the new promised method for PED. Cord lining epithelial cells (CLECs) are epithelial cells of amniotic membrane of umbilical cord, so these cultivated cells sheet may be good for treating PED.
Aim:
To evaluate the efficacy of the transplantation of cultivated CLECs sheets in treatment of PED and analyze some influential factors of this therapy.
Methods:
A prospective interventional case series with transplantation of tissue-cultured human CLECs in 37 PED eyes in Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology.
Results:
Thirty four of 37 eyes were healed with the cells transplantation and 22 eyes of them healed within a week postoperatively. There were normal corneal scars and normal corneal epithelial cell (by impression cytology detection) on transplantation site in all 31 successful cases. The other successful eyes were done lamellar keratoplasty (respectively in 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 27 months postoperatively) to investigate the histopathology of the CLECs transplant site. The histopathological images showed normal corneal scar and there was no appearance of CLECs in transplant site.
Conclusion:
tissue-cultured human CLECs transplantation is a quite safe and effective treatment for persistent corneal epithelial defect. The CLECs may help the epithelial healing at early stage but do not exist at transplant site for a long time.
Kombucha SCOBY pellicle formed as a waste product in the kombucha tea fermentation industry can be used as a potential source for bacterial cellulose. We have compared four simple, scalable purification methods for the purification of this jelly like cellulosic matrix containing bacteria, yeast cells, proteins and polyphenols as impurities. The method using two successive 1.0 M NaOH washings at 90 °C, followed by the treatment with 1.5% (w/w) aq. NaOCl for 2 h, was the most effective method and gave the purified cellulose sample with the highest leucometer whiteness value of 81.4 ± 4.8. The purified cellulose samples were analyzed using FT-IR, TGA, SEM, EDX, X-ray and water absorption at room temperature.
A bioprinting technique for large‐scale, custom‐printed immobilization of microalgae is developed for potential applications within architecture and the built environment. Alginate‐based hydrogels with various rheology modifying polymers and varying water percentages are characterized to establish a window of operation suitable for layer‐by‐layer deposition on a large scale. Hydrogels formulated with methylcellulose and carrageenan, with water percentages ranging from 80% to 92.5%, demonstrate a dominant viscoelastic solid–like property with G′ > G″ and a low phase angle, making them the most suitable for extrusion‐based printing. A custom multimaterial pneumatic extrusion system is developed to be attached on the end effector of an industrial multiaxis robot arm, allowing precision‐based numerically controlled layered deposition of the viscous hydrogel. The relationship between the various printing parameters, namely air pressure, material viscosity, viscoelasticity, feed rate, printing distance, nozzle diameter, and the speed of printing, are characterized to achieve the desired resolution of the component. Printed prototypes are postcured in CaCl2 via crosslinking. Biocompatibility tests show that cells can survive for 21 days after printing the constructs. To demonstrate the methodology for scale‐up, a 1000 × 500 mm fibrous hydrogel panel is additively deposited with 3 different hydrogels with varying water percentages. Algae‐laden hydrogels are 3D‐printed on a large scale through a custom‐built robotic extrusion system. Rheological characterization of alginate hydrogels identified physiochemical and biological properties suitable for 3D construction. Algal cells immobilized in CaCl2 survived extrusion, demonstrating the biocompatibility of the material and printing process. This work demonstrates potential for the design, fabrication, and scale‐up of photosynthetic membranes in architecture.
The current physical goods economy produces materials by extracting finite valuable resources without taking their end of the life and environmental impact into account. Mycelium-based materials offer an alternative fabrication paradigm, based on the growth of materials rather than on extraction. Agricultural residue fibres are inoculated with fungal mycelium, which form an interwoven three-dimensional filamentous network binding the feedstock into a lightweight material. The mycelium-based material is heat-killed after the growing process. In this paper, we investigate the production process, the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of mycelium-based composites made with different types of lignocellulosic reinforcement fibres combined with a white rot fungus, Trametes versicolor. This is the first study reporting the dry density, the Young’s modulus, the compressive stiffness, the stress-strain curves, the thermal conductivity, the water absorption rate and a FTIR analyse of mycelium-based composites by making use of a fully disclosed protocol with T. versicolor and five different type of fibres (hemp, flax, flax waste, softwood, straw) and fibre processings (loose, chopped, dust, pre-compressed and tow). The thermal conductivity and water absorption coefficient of the mycelium composites with flax, hemp, and straw have an overall good insulation behaviour in all the aspects compared to conventional materials such as rock wool, glass wool and extruded polystyrene. The conducted tests reveal that the mechanical performance of the mycelium-based composites depends more on the fibre processing (loose, chopped, pre-compressed, and tow), and size than on the chemical composition of the fibres. These experimental results show that mycelium-composites can fulfil the requirements of thermal insulation and have the potential to replace fosile-based composites. The methology used to evaluate the suitability and selection of organic waste-streams proved to be effective for the mycelium-material manufacturing applications.
Edible algae, including seaweeds, are a source of functional food, dietary supplements, metabolites and bioactive compounds. Algal-based functional foods have potential health benefits, and their commercial value depends on their applications in the food and nutraceutical industries.
This book covers several aspects of algal-based functional foods. It informs the reader about algal cultivation techniques, environmental impact, habitat, nutraceutical potential, extraction of bioactive metabolites, functional-food composition, bio-prospection, culture-induced nutraceutical compounds, algae-based bio-packaging, algal-biorefinery, toxicity, trends and future prospects.
The editors present the topics in a research-oriented format while citing scholarly references.
This book is a comprehensive resource for anyone interested in the nutritional benefits and industrial utilization of algae as a sustainable food source.
Algae hold particular promise as a feedstock for biomaterials, as they are capable of producing a wide variety of polymers with the properties required for 3D printing. However, the use of algal polymers has been limited to alginate, agar, carrageenan, and ulvan extracted from seaweeds. Diverse algal taxa beyond seaweeds have yet to be explored. In this comprehensive review, we discuss available algal biomaterials, their properties, and emerging applications in 3D printing techniques. We also identify elite algal strains to be used in 3D printing and comment on both advantages and limitations of algal biomass as a printing material. Global 3D printing market trends and material demands are also critically analyzed. Finally, the future prospects, opportunities, and challenges for using algal polymers in 3D printing market for a sustainable economy are discussed. We hope this review will provide a foundation for exploring the 3D printable biomaterials from algae.
Bacteria: A Very Short Introduction explores the nature of bacteria, which are the most abundant form of life on the planet. The first organisms to evolve, they include forms that can survive the toughest environments, from deep rocks to frozen wastes. No other organisms are as adaptable. We are most familiar with them as agents of disease, but benign bacteria are critical to ecosystems, as well as to human health. Bacteria play a significant role in the environment and in disease. We cannot ignore the growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics.
To date, wood has been viewed as an attractive commodity because of its low relative cost and widespread availability. However, supply is increasingly strained, and, in many ways, trees make a non-ideal feedstock—with slow, climate and seasonally dependent growth, low yields of high-value products, and susceptibility to pests and disease. Recent research offered an approach to generate plant-based materials in vitro without needing to harvest or process whole plants, thereby enabling: localized, high-density production, elimination of energy-intensive collection and hauling, reduced processing, and inherent climate resilience. This work reports the first physical, mechanical, and microstructural characterization of 3-D printed, lab-grown, and tunable plant materials generated with Zinnia elegans cell cultures using such methodology. The data show that the properties of the resulting plant materials vary significantly with adjustments to hormone levels present in growth medium. In addition, configuration of the culture environment via bioprinting and casting enables the production of net-shape materials in forms and scales that do not arise naturally in whole plants. Finally, new comparative data on cell development in response to hormone levels in culture medium demonstrates the repeatability of growth trends, clarifies the relationship between developmental pathways, and helps to elucidate the relationships between cellular-level culture characteristics and emergent material properties.
The awareness of global warming, fossil scarcity and pollution are some current eminent burdens which are necessary to be acknowledged in order to find alternative solutions to mitigate its detrimental impacts. Taking this into account, this article focuses on displaying a historical overview, critical trends, recent challenges and employment of vegetal biomass as feedstock for the sustainable and environmentally friendly production of promising microbial-derived molecules through fermentative strategies. Among, bioethanol, xylitol, biopolymers, biosurfactants, organic acids and others such as butanol, butanediol, single cell protein and biopigments will be elucidated. Nevertheless, each one of these biomolecules presents specific applications.
Self-healing techniques are most successful in preventing concrete from cracking or breaking. The book reviews the most promising methods, including the use of polymers, epoxy resins, fungi or cementitious composites; biomineralization, continuing hydration or carbonation or wet/dry cycling. Various micro-organisms are able to produce favorable effects, such as denitrification, calcium carbonate formation, sulfate reduction or the production of methane. The book references 289 original resources and includes their direct web link for in-depth reading.
Photosynthetic microorganisms are responsible for the habitable atmosphere that sustains the plethora of life on the planet. In a time when humanity is encountering one of its greatest challenges in the form of a global environmental crisis we look for solutions present within nature. Within bio-design we seek to incorporate living metabolic functions within buildings that enable microorganisms to adapt to a wide range of environments and feed on products we wish to transform. Owing to the responsive nature of living organisms we can foster a dialogue between our species and microorganisms by engineering environments that can help those organisms to flourish. The studies outlined in this paper explore the potential of sustaining photosynthetic microorganisms in minimal moisture environments through the use of laboratory design practice. Thus, enabling their integration within interior settings for the purpose of sequestering carbon dioxide and generation of oxygen. In this paper we assess the limitations and performance of such living materials that would help inform the conditions that would have to be created for photosynthetic microorganisms to be sustained within an uncontrolled interior setting. The paper will demonstrate a range of natural coatings and their effect on the metabolism of Chlorella vulgaris, a photosynthetic microalgae. In contrast to traditional forms of fabrication where the role of the designer is primarily concerned with generating a predetermined solution, when designing with living things the designer facilitates desirable natural processes that often unfold in unpredictable ways. Therefore, there is a need for a clear understanding of the natural requirements of living organism in terms of their metabolic functions so that we can guide their growth in a desirable way.
This book presents the potential of bacterial cellulose in the textile and fashion industry. Most of the earlier work on the bacterial cellulose was focused on the bio technology application of cellulose, but the recent urge for the need of a sustainable material in the fashion and textile industries identified the scope of the bacterial cellulose in this aspect. The unique feature of this book is that it relates the bio technological aspects of bacterial cellulose with the sustainable issues in the fashion industry.
Purpose – In the last decade, three-dimensional (3D) printing has gained attention in areas such as medicine, engineering, manufacturing art, and most recently in education. In biomedical, the development of a wide range of biomaterials have catalysed the considerable role of 3D printing (3DP), where it functions as synthetic frameworks in the form of scaffolds, constructs or matrices. The main purpose of the present review is to present the state of the art literature coverage of 3DP applications in tissue engineering (such as customized scaffoldings and organs, and regenerative medicine).
Design/methodology/approach – This review focuses on various 3DP techniques and
biomaterials for tissue engineering (TE) applications. The literature reviewed in the
manuscript has been collected from various journal search engines including Google Scholar, Research Gate, Academia, PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. The keywords that have been selected for the searches were 3D printing, tissue engineering, scaffoldings, organs, regenerative medicine, biomaterials, standards,
applications, and future directions. Further, the sub-classifications of the keyword, wherever possible, have been used as sectioned/sub-sectioned in the manuscript.
Findings – 3DP techniques have many applications in biomedical and TE (B-TE), as covered in the literature. Customized structures for B-TE applications are easy and cost-effective to manufacture through 3DP, whereas on many occasions conventional technologies generally become incompatible. For this, this new class of manufacturing must be explored to further capabilities for many potential applications.
Originality/value – This review paper presents a comprehensive study of the various types
of 3DP technologies in the light of their possible B-TE application as well as provides a
future roadmap.
Bacterial cellulose, a pure exocellular polysaccharide produced by microorganisms, has many excellent properties as compared with plant-derived cellulose, including high water holding capability, high surface area, rheological properties, biocompatibility. Due to its suspending, thickening, water holding, stabilizing, bulking and fluid properties, BC has been demonstrated as a promising low calorie bulking ingredient for the development of novel rich functional foods of different forms such as powder gelatinous or shred foams, which facilitate its application in food industry. In this review, the recent reports on the biosynthesis, structure and general application of bacterial cellulose in food industry have been summarized and discussed. The main application of bacterial cellulose in current food industry includes raw food materials, additive ingredients, packing materials, delivery system, enzyme and cell immobilizers. In addition, we also propose the potential challenges and explore the solution of expanding the application of BC in various fields.
Microalgae harvesting is a major hurdle for the production of high-value microalgal bioproducts on a large scale. Among harvesting techniques, pH-induced sedimentation stands out as an inexpensive and technically viable method. Nevertheless, there is little information available on the application of this method for microalgae cultivated in wastewater. In this context, the present study investigated the optimization of sedimentation parameters for Chlorella sorokiniana harvesting from wastewater. Parameter optimization was statistically determined by the Response Surface Methodology. The optimal values included a velocity gradient of 250 s−1, mixing time of 10 s, and pH of 12 which reached efficiencies higher than 97.8%. These optimal parameters also showed resilience through the physico-chemical variation of the photobioreactor effluent. Furthermore, wastewater quality improved significantly after microalgae harvesting. High removal was found for turbidity (97.9–98.3%), apparent color (92.2–97.2%), TKN (91.0–94.4%), and total phosphorus (92.8–98.6%). Centrifugation as the dewatering method and its operational parameters were also evaluated. Sedimentation followed by centrifugation increased the initial microalgae concentration around 123 times. This study showed the importance of operational optimization and the results can be used as practical guidelines for microalgae harvesting on a large scale.
Re‐attaching or out‐planting coral as fragments, colonies and on larval settlement devices to substrates is a major bottleneck limiting scalabilty and viability of reef restoration practices. Many attachment approaches are in use, but none that are low‐cost, opportunistic, rapid but effective, for integration into existing tour operations on the Great Barrier Reef where staff and boat time is a major cost and chemical fixatives cannot be easily used. We describe a novel attachment device – Coralclip® – developed to meet this need and so aid maintenance and restoration of Great Barrier Reef tourism sites. Coralclip® is a stainless steel springclip attached by a nail integrated through the spring coil, and can be deployed with a coral fragment in as fast as 15 seconds. Initial laboratory tests demonstrated that Coralclip® secured coral fragments or larval settlement tiles under dynamic flow regimes characteristic of exposed reefs. Coral out‐planting from fragments of opportunity and from nurseries (n=4,580; 0.3‐1.9 coral min‐1; US0.5 tile deployed‐1) when deployed by divers from routine boat operations at Opal Reef confirmed highly effective attachment, with ≤15% failure of clips found after 3‐7 months. We discuss how Coralclip® is a cost‐effective means to support reef maintenance and restoration practices. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
