Nutty shell.

I want to share some of the experiences that I got during a Master Degree focus on new materials. I´m always being wondering about the destination of the stuff that we throw away in the garbage. For some people are rough diamonds for others are just a bunch of waste.

With the idea to take advantage of the impressive number of residues that we are been accumulating day by day I worked in a DIY workshop.

Gelatine and Glycerine are the based components and walnut shell grained is the main ingredient. The peanut industry wasted about 50,000 tons of shells each year. Today shells of dry fruits are using just to feed farm animals. But they have the possibilities to been use in something else. This practice opens the opportunity to think further to a replacement of some finite material´s application.

Keep it simple and local. The simpler is the process the less damage to nature.

An interesting value of walnut shell could educate a group of people to propose the separation of this waste in order to be able with walnut shell industries to return their residue something valuable.

One of the most relevant of the samples is the sample number three from the left to the right.
This sample was called “Strong Gelatine Wood”. My partner and I conclude that the gelatine works well with the nut shell particles, we found a stable structure with a minimum of elasticity from the high and the width. Impossible to deformed.

The information we got of the sample was very clear, with a dark brown colour and small light particles. smooth nutty aroma, soft at touch, very stable structure makes it a stiff material.