Rania Elkalla is a designer who transforms egg shells and nuts into biodegradable material that can be used instead of plastic
Rania Elkalla, an award-winning Egyptian-born and Berlin-based materials designer, transforms egg and nut shells into biodegradable, durable and pliable material that can be used to create anything from combs to furniture.
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In 2010, the designer began working on her dissertation at the German University of Cairo, doing research on egg and walnut shells. Her main goal was to find the right recipe to create a completely sustainable and biodegradable material that does not decompose or break quickly during use.
Today Ekalla founded “Shell homage”, a start-up that produces materials capable of replacing plastic. The product is a completely natural biodegradable compound, made of eggs, walnut shells and biopolymers of vegetable origin. It is lightweight and versatile and requires no harmful toxic chemicals.
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Ekalla's business receives the shells from several farms, local shops, bakeries and restaurants. To make the composite, the shells are collected, cleaned, sterilized, dried and then ground into different sizes, to then be mixed with other organic and biodegradable substances.
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This compound replaces oil-based plastics. It can be applied to various products, from interior, lighting and furniture design, home accessories, consumer goods and jewelry.
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The surface of the material varies from rough to smooth, opaque, translucent and transparent. The properties of the final material can be controlled by the manufacturing method, creating results that range from hard to malleable and elastic plates.
Rania's idea comes from a childhood memory: as a child she saw her father break the shells and then throw them away and thought about the material that was wasted.
More than 1 trillion eggs are laid every year, producing a lot of waste. It's a real shame to throw away a lot of material, as egg shells contain around 95% calcium carbonate, one of nature's most absorbent materials, and can capture up to 78% carbon dioxide from the air.
The designer explained that “Shell Homage” means respect for discarded shells and homage to what they have brought inside.
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The idea, simple and at the same time brilliant, took shape in the “Shell Homage, The Pebbles Hangers” project, which won the “A 'Design Award” in 2017.
Read also:
- How to recycle egg shells
- 10 ideas for the creative recycling of walnut shells
