3D printer transforms food waste into coffee mugs and coasters

A new type of 3D printer could help households do their part to reduce food waste while also producing some nifty household accessories.

In 2019 alone, the US generated 66 million tons of food waste. The majority of that waste (60 percent) ended up in landfills. According to one EPA report, the carbon dioxide generated from food waste is equivalent to the emissions of 42 coal-fired power plants. 

To try and address this issue, a pair of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developed an AI-assisted 3D printer capable of converting food scraps into coasters, cups, and other everyday kitchen items. They hope their invention, called the Foodres.Ai Printer, can repurpose waste before it reaches trash cans or compost bins, helping to foster “hyper-local circular economies.”

“This product goes beyond recycling food waste by actively engaging communities in eco-friendly practices on a daily basis,” designer Biru Cao writes on his website.  

The printer works in tandem with a companion mobile app that scans and identifies food scraps. Users take a photo of the waste, which can include anything from banana peels and eggshells to coffee grounds, and the app’s object detection AI model analyzes the image. Once the object is identified, the app suggests possible “recipes” for items it could be converted into. Users can choose from a selection of pre-made templates, such as glasses and utensils, or create their own custom objects. Users can also customize the color and texture of their object based on the available materials. 

[Related: 6 kitchen scraps to throw in your garden]

Once an object is selected, the device automatically adds natural additives to the food scraps and converts them into a bioplastic paste. This paste is then fed into a three-axis extruder system with automated heating, which shapes the mixture into the final product. Once the printing is complete, users can open a panel on the side of the device to retrieve their item. The entire process, after loading the material, requires just a single button press and is designed to be accessible even to people with no prior experience using a 3D printer.

“This flexibility makes the FOODres.AI Printer accessible to everyone, regardless of prior experience with 3D printing,” Coa writes. 

Coa did not immediately respond to Popular Science’s request for comment asking about how long the conversion and printing process takes or how much they expect the printer will cost. 

A new wave of 3D printed organic materials 

3D printers, once strictly limited to working with plastics and metals, are rapidly evolving. In 2023, researchers from Columbia University unveiled an advanced 3D printer capable of reliably printing chicken, beef, vegetables, and cheese. It even produced a relatively edible-looking cheesecake. A London-based company called Food Ink even opened up what it called the world’s first entirely 3D-printed pop-up restaurant, where everything from the plates and utensils to the nine-course dinner was printed. Jonathan Blutinger, one of the Columbia engineers behind the device, told The Guardian he believes printers like these could become a household kitchen staple sooner rather than later.

“It’s your own personal digital chef,” Blutinger said. 

And the advancements aren’t just limited to food. In healthcare, 3D printers are already being used to create printable synthetic skin and blood vessels. Advocates of the tech say fully printable 3D organs might not be far behind. 

 

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