Bioplastics and COLOUR
I have been experimenting with bioplastics for a year now. I have familiarised myself with the making process and the ingredients quite well.
Currently, my research is shifting towards Agar Agar-based bioplastic’s adaptation to the fashion industry. Therefore, my focus is aesthetic qualities.
Colour is one of the main components that enhances the design, very much like it does our everyday experiences of the world. A colour scheme is one of the first elements to communicate the message behind any design on both visual and psychological levels.
Achieving vibrant colours in biomaterials is another big challenge. Colour components can interfere with material recipes. They can decrease the material’s durability or compostability.
Throughout my journey, I experimented with a few non-toxic ways of dying the bioplastics. Using organic* dyes and pigments proved to be quite challenging. They did not have much stability in the context of bioplastics. The oxidation process would interfere with the colour. Therefore, I had very little control over choosing the right colours.
Mineral pigments proved to be the least reactive towards other ingredients I used to make the material. Oxidation is neither a factor in colour development.
Mineral pigments also offer a wide variety of colours. By mixing different pigments, I can create my own bespoke colours, a bit like mixing colour at the textiles dye lab or print room.
Mineral pigments are from a mineral source. They are inorganic** and synthetic***.
Mineral pigments are entirely non-toxic and locally sourced.
Different methods to achieve colour in biomaterials.
Colour development was a proud moment in my journey. I can now choose vibrant colours and slowly prove that bioplastics can be aesthetically attractive to the market.
Unlike with bioplastic, organic dyes work very well on bacterial cellulose, as it is shown in the colour method board abowe. Bacterial cellulose, on the contrary, from bioplastic does not react to mineral pigments at all. But more about that in later posts.
*”Organic” in this context has a very different meaning to that which has been adopted by the food industry. Organic pigments are the ones that contain carbon molecules, which can include for example plant extracts.
** “Inorganic” pigments – extracted fromn inorganic compounds and salts such as metallic oxides, ochres and earths. In the pigment world “inorganic” is the more natural product.
*** Synthetic Pigments - Synthetic pigments are pigments that have been manufactured or put through a process. For example, Oxides can be fired in a Kiln (calcined) to change the colour of the pigment. Also, white minerals such as chalk or lime can be bonded to an organic pigment or dye to create brighter coloured pigments not available from a natural earth source. The process of bonding an organic pigment to an inorganic mineral also improves the stability of the organic colour.
