Aqua faba

Circular Materials: Aqua Faba Foam

The material Aqua Faba Foam is part of Paula Nerlich’s research project 'Circular Materials’, which invites us to explore new possibilities of matter derived from food surplus.

The material Aqua Faba Foam is made with aqua faba, a surplus from household food preparation and is mixed with further ingredients which are vegan, compostable and non-harmful to the environment. Aqua faba is a by-product from the preparation of legumes and depending on the legume can have emulsifying, foaming, binding, gelatinising and thickening properties. The material allows to be processed and shaped in various ways and although still in development, Aqua Faba Foam can be used to explore a variety of applications.

The material Aqua Faba Foam was recently awarded with the MaDe award for Best Future Vision and the Beyond Plastic Prize and has been on display at the London Design Museum and Centro Centro Madrid.

Making process

The main process of crafting Aqua Faba Foam is the mixing of aqua faba with further compostable ingredients, application of heat, the solidifying of the mixture into Aqua Faba Foam and the moulding of the material.

Text submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank. For information about reproducing (a part of) this text, please contact the maker.