An Icelandic student has created a 100% natural, biodegradable and potentially edible water bottle from algae. The new design may pave the way for new products that will help solve the major problem of plastic pollution.
Iceland’s Academy of Arts student Ari Jonson designed a water bottle that loses its shape and decomposes when emptied. Yonson combined red algae powder and water to create a substance similar to gelatin. After heating it, he poured it into a bottle-shaped mold and immersed it in ice water.
The mould is then stored in a refrigerator and the resulting product is a water bottle made from seaweed, which retains its shape as long as it is filled with water. When the bottle is emptied, it loses its shape and begins to decompose.
“If the bottom is too thin or has a hole in it, we can heat it again for a while and pour it back into the mould,” explained Jonson, who presented the bottle at a student exhibition in Reykjavik, Iceland.
The water inside the biodegradable bottle remains drinkable, however, after some time, the algae taste can pass into the water. Of course if consumers prefer the taste they can safely consume the bottle itself after drinking the water.
After all, a study last year revealed that plastic will outnumber fish in the ocean by 2050. These ominous predictions make it imperative to find solutions to plastic pollution, such as Yonson’s new bottle.
naftemporiki.gr
