Many different grass species grow within water, whether that be in the ocean or in wetlands. These grasses are crucial for the ecosystem, not only as a habitat for wildlife and as a coastal defence, but they are carbon sinks. Seagrasses only cover 0.1% of the seafloor, but they are responsible for 11% of the organic carbon buried in the ocean. Some species of grasses can capture carbon at a greater rate than tropical rainforests. It is however estimated that globally we lose an area of seagrass the same size as two football pitches every hour. But sometimes these grasses can be seen as a nuisance, and they must be carefully managed to improve the natural ecosystem. Many seagrasses also shed their leaves annually, which generally end up on beaches as they are washed to shore. Therefore, can we utilise the waste created from these wonder plants for more sustainable natural products, while also allowing for conservation of their growth to improve our planet.

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Medulla by Don Yaw Kwaning

Don Yaw Kwaning has explored the development of materials that use soft rush, which would usually be seen as an unwanted cosmopolitan weed. In the Netherlands, thousands of kilo’s of soft rush plants are removed from nature by State forestry every year. This material research project resulted in materials like paper, textile, foam, and a construction material. Different parts of the plant can be used for different applications. For example, the pith of the soft rush is similar to a foam as it is extremely lightweight, shock-resistant and has insulating properties, making it suitable as a packaging material. As well as identifying the uses for these plant parts, Kwaning also experiments with processing and form. This foam material can be made into strings or compressed into a foam block, without the need for any bonding additives. It is also possible to compress this material to different densities, making it suitable as a construction material or even furniture.

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POC: Seagrass Packaging by Felix Pöttinger

Designer Felix Pöttinger has created a seagrass-based material, designed to reduce plastic packaging waste. Dead seagrass fibers collected from beaches, and a cellulose binder made from the fibers, are combined. To process these into a form Pöttinger presses the mixture into a mold and bakes the form until it is completely dried. The antibacterial properties of the seagrass means that a bio-composite can be produced, with the final material having impressive properties, as well as being completely biodegradable.

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Posidonia/Seafloor by Studiograma

Studiograma is a creative studio based in Palma de Mallorca specialising in the role of materials in sustainable solutions. Posidonia is only found in the Mediterranean Sea and is one of the most threatened species on the planet, with 25% of it lost. The oval orbs form from the base of leaves due to the movement of the sea, and are slowly buried by sedimentation. The damaged leaf sheaths then form stiff fibres that intertwine into a ball. Eventually they are brought to the shore with the tide. These balls are even known to collect plastic pollution. It was found these fibres comprised 17% of plastic, equating to nearly 1,500 pieces per kilogram of balls. Studiograma wanted to use these balls to benefit the local economy of the regions around the sea by creating natural products from the washed up material. Each Posidonia ball was sewn together, and the studio explored sealing each one with a pine resin, agar and water to prevent fiber loss.

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References:

Don Yaw Kwaning

Felix Pöttinger

Studiograma

Joe Whalen