MASTERS THESIS (on going)

There are about 51 trillion microplastics in our ocean. This thesis addresses the problem of fashion industry as the second most polluting industry in the world with a focus on its significant contribution to the ocean’s plastic pollution and how it ends up in a loop between humans and ocean animals, intoxicating them. The thesis will use an exploratory approach to provide a viable design solution by creating a novel biomaterial and using digital fabrication techniques. In doing so, the focus would also be to allow customization of surface design matter in required amounts only, to provide controlled production. A core element would be to use the abundantly available and beneficial biopolymer, Chitosan, as a key ingredient throughout the experiments and extract natural dyes for creating the color palette. Further development of the thesis could be done through advanced additive manufacturing tools like liquid deposition modeling and expanding it into more areas of application with complex properties like hydrophobicity, fluorescence, thermochromic, and conductivity. The thesis will also shed some light on the circularity quotient of the new material produced, making sure that in this case biomaterial does in fact mean an eco-material.