Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have published their study into how materials made from nanocellulose and algae can be used as sustainable architectural materials. The research, conducted in collaboration with the Wallenberg Wood Science Center, “shows how the abundant sustainable material can be 3D printed into a wide array of architectural components, using much less energy than conventional construction methods,” according to the team.

Nanocellulose, molecules consisting of hundreds or thousands of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, are already used in biomedicine to 3D print scaffolds for tissue and cell growth but have never been used in an architectural material. The researchers, therefore, mixed nanocellulose fibers and water with an algae-based material called alginate to produce a 3D printable material with architectural uses in mind.

“For the first time, we have explored an architectural application of nanocellulose hydrogel,” said Malgorzata Zboinska, lead author of the study from Chalmers. “The nanocellulose used in this study can be acquired from forestry, agriculture, paper mills, and straw residues from agriculture. It is a very abundant material in that sense.”

The Chalmers research used a method of 3D printing through air pressure rather than heat, with the high pressure liquifying the nanocellulose to enable 3D printing. The team believes the resulting shapes could be used as the basis for a wide array of architectural components, such as room dividers, blinds, and wall panel systems, as well as tiles, acoustic elements, and skeleton wall cladding.

“The aesthetics of biobased materials are an important part of this,” Zboinska added. “If we are to propose these biobased materials to society and people, we need to work with the design as well. This becomes a very strong element for the acceptance of these materials. If people do not accept them, we will not reach the goals of a circular economy and sustainable built environment.”