Kosfeld Fenna Thesis - Flipbook - Page 24
Objective
The objective of the Biocharged project was to
get a deeper understanding of the material and its
potential applications.
From the beginning of the project, I knew I wanted
to develop a material to sculpt and create shapes.
My main objective for that was to 昀椀nd a way of
making a genuinely circular material,
sustainable and with the most negligible impact.
There were several objectives within the project
that were feeding into each other.
Understanding Biochar Production and the broad
scope of the material :
`Understand different techniques, outcomes and
potentials
To Produce Biochar from Local Organic Waste:
To understand and create an ef昀椀cient way of making biochar and to learn how to collect suitable
feedstock( waste material ) for the application.
To Inoculate Biochar with Urine and Analyze Nutrient Enrichment:
To enhance fertilizing properties of biochar
To bind inoculated biochar for making and sculpting, with a fertilizing impact.
To test inoculated biochar within the land and to
understand its impact on soil and biodiversity
conditions.
To explore the use of biochar as a medium for artistic expression:
The objective is to create a malleable paste-like
material that is airdrying or bakeable with little
environmental impact. Biochar as an art material.
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Challenge
In the process of the project, I overcame many
challenges that were not de昀椀ned from the beginning but evolved with each new step in experimentation and research.
Making the kiln ( 昀椀nding barrel and transport)
Finding the location for the process of pyrolysis.
Selecting and de昀椀ning waste feedstock and its
potential as all organic matter can be turned into
biochar.
My challenge was speci昀椀cally to 昀椀nd a clear path,
as the material exploration and understanding
process required a wide range of feedstocks.
Understanding the pyrolisis Process with varying
impacts on feedstock structure and characteristics without scienti昀椀c background or tools
Optimization of Pyrolysis Conditions
achieving optimal pyrolysis conditions (temperature, time, oxygen levels)
Effective inoculation with urine ensures full absorption and no loss of nutrients. Conducting
plant growth experiments, 昀椀nding
Finding binders that are environmentally friendly,
compostable and ideally with a fertilizing or nutrient/mineral-rich composition and make biochar a
malleable, culpable and airdrying material that can
hold itself in structure
In between, it was a challenge to keep working
with urine, as it is the natural reaction of humans
to be disgusted ( it got better, though, and now
nothing can shock me ).
Throughout experimentation, 昀椀nding potential
paths for material composition
I am 昀椀nding a way to sculpt and handbuild with
material without compensating for intuitive expression.
