A line up of orange rinds, powdered orange rind, and Fabula Inc's concrete made with orange rind.
Thanks to some serious wizardry from University of Tokyo researchers, food scraps are taking on a whole new life as bendable "concrete" that's not only four times as strong as old-school concrete, it's also biodegradable and edible! The scientists behind the incredible creation are Kota Machida and Yuya Sakai. They have since founded Fabula Inc., a company dedicated to producing and further researching the innovative material. Their mission is to ditch cement's carbon footprint and tackle Japan's massive food waste problem in one fell swoop.
According to researchers, cement is responsible for 8% of the world's greenhouse emissions because it's made with natural resources like gravel and sand that must be mined and transported. Its creation also releases carbon dioxide. All of these factors combined create a huge carbon footprint. Fabula Inc.'s invention, on the other hand, significantly lowers emissions and reduces food waste, saving landfill space.
Inventors Machida and Yakai say transforming common food waste into concrete is actually surprisingly straightforward. Through fancy drying, crushing, and pressing techniques (done with common equipment they bought online!), they turn orange rinds, banana peels, cabbage leaves, and coffee grounds into eco-friendly bendable concrete. The game-changer? They ditch adding plastic to help the biodegradable materials bond and simply tweak temperature and pressure.
Fabula Inc. isn't just whipping up sturdy building blocks with this food-waste wonder; they're crafting mouthwatering furniture and dishware, too! Imagine sipping coffee from a mug made of spiced coffee grounds or snacking on a ginger-infused bench after a long day. And in case of a natural disaster, this edible concrete can be boiled and munched on!
The vision goes beyond emergency rations, though. Machida and Yakai dream of a future where edible concrete replaces regular concrete and plastic, reducing our carbon footprint and giving those forgotten apple cores a delicious second life.