Cassava Clasp
A sustainable eco-friendly material exploration project from edible starch. The clasp is a fast-food packaging alternative for environmentally conscious brands. The clasp is molded in the shape of a bowl which can easily be rolled up and packaged. The clasp when opened up retains the shape of the bowl.
Conversed on Mentza with Manan Pawha
The clasp is targeted towards an audience who wants to live a healthy and active lifestyle. Simply grabbing your favorite salad on your jog. The best part is that the packaging is completely bio-degradable and can be thrown away with no impact on the environment.
Explorations
I explored various starch polymer materials that are found in the kitchen. These included rice, soy, potato and cassava beads. I tried various processes to explore the gelatinization properties of starch with different conditions and chemicals.
Cassava Sheets
I chose to go ahead exploring making sheets from cassava beads. I was able to figure out what factors affected the physical properties of these sheets. How to mold the sheets. What is the adequate thickness. How flexible is the sheet. How brittle is the sheet.
More properties were explored - auxetic structures, composite with gauge and infusing color with organic substances.
I figured out the right condition to make thinner and more flexible sheets. Since these sheets are made from edible starch and edible chemicals, it decomposes naturally in the environment.
Going Ahead...
I plan to make the process of producing the sheets more robust and predictable. Applications with mass manufacturing and distribution need to be thought of.