{"id":116785,"date":"2022-06-17T07:22:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-17T05:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=116785"},"modified":"2022-10-06T14:05:51","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T12:05:51","slug":"scalite-a-marble-like-material-made-from-fish-scales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/scalite-a-marble-like-material-made-from-fish-scales\/","title":{"rendered":"SCALITE, a marble like material made from fish scales"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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\"These
These tiles may look like marble, but they\u2019re made entirely of fish scales \u00a9 Scale Vision<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u200dDid you know that about\u00a0two-thirds<\/a>\u00a0of the fish that is caught is discarded as waste? Sometimes, fish waste like bones, heads, fins, and scales are used as fertilizers and fish oil, but much of it ends up in landfills. That is unless a materials researcher finds a way to reuse some of it and create an entirely new material\u2014which is exactly what Erik de Laurens did when he created Scalite.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Raw
Raw fish scales. \u00a9 Scale Vision<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Made entirely from fish scales (or 99.5% of it), Scalite is a bio-sourced, biodegradable, and naturally nonflammable material that turns a byproduct of the fishing industry into a striking stone-like material that can make buildings a little greener, one tile at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

De Laurens built his first prototype while doing his masters\u2019s in product design at London\u2019s Royal College of Art in 2011. He then spent six years working as a materials researcher at architecture firm Foster + Partners, where he was faced with what he calls the \u201carchitectural problematics\u201d and polluting reality of the building industry. In 2018, after two years of development, he moved back to his native France, partnered with entrepreneur Edouard de Dreuzy (who\u2019s also his cousin), and the duo founded Scale as \u201can ocean-friendly brand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French company\u2019s first material is called Scalite. \u201cWe call it reversible, which means that with one tile of Scalite, you can produce another tile of Scalite,\u201d says Laurens. Indeed the material\u2019s natural composition\u2014free of toxic chemicals, resins, and glues\u2014means that when tiles are removed for a remodel, they can be 100% recycled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fish scales are a composite of biopolymers (collagen fibers) and minerals. During Scalite\u2019s manufacturing process, this biopolymer is extracted and mixed with the mineral part of the scales to create the basis of the material, which is then mixed with a small quantity of a natural binder and dyes. The substance is then compressed into molds with a hydraulic press. The end result looks a bit like speckled Corian but with more vibrant hues like mustard yellow or moss green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Workshop
Workshop press \u00a9 Scale Vision<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The product is currently available in two sets of tiles (rectangular and square), but the size of each tile is limited to about 12 inches-by-12 inches. \u201cThis is where it gets tricky because scaling up means bigger machines,\u201d says Laurens, but custom applications are possible. He\u2019s also working on a system to create a flexible sheet that would be draped over molds to create curved or wavy Scalite sheets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tiles can be used in a wide variety of interiors from restaurants and retail displays to homes. Sadly, though, they\u2019re not yet recommended for use in wet areas like a bathroom. \u201cIt\u2019s like MDF, it swells,\u201d says Laurens, who recently hired a biochemist in the hopes of making the material water-resistant while staying true to the brand\u2019s green credentials. \u201cIt\u2019s tricky because the more water-resistant you are, the less biodegradable,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, Laurens says the biggest challenge in France is actually acquiring the scales in an efficient way. \u201cIn Europe, we haven\u2019t got the recycling state of mind,\u201d he says, noting that the recycling industry is only beginning to invest in special equipment to separate each fish byproduct\u2014fish scales from skins, skins from heads, heads from bones\u2014in a systematic way. For now, Scalite is made from fish scales collected in France from sustainably managed stocks of sardines or salmons, but because of the recycling complications, Laurens is looking to other markets with \u201cmore exotic scales\u201d like Asian carp and sea bass, although the type of fish doesn\u2019t affect the final color or texture of the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lauren says the cost depends on the project, but starts at 300 euros per square meter (which equates to about $35 per square foot). He says white Corian and glass remain a little cheaper, but other stones, like marble, are much more expensive. \u201cIf you\u2019re really serious about your environmental impact,\u201d says Laurens, \u201cthen this is a really good solution because it\u2019s basically natural.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wall
Wall cladding \u00a9 Scale Vision<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u200dDid you know that about\u00a0two-thirds\u00a0of the fish that is caught is discarded as waste? Sometimes, fish waste like bones, heads, fins, and scales are used as fertilizers and fish oil, but much of it ends up in landfills. That is unless a materials researcher finds a way to reuse some of it and create an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"Fish waste like bones, heads, fins, and scales often end up in landfills. Erik de Laurens wants to change that, one gorgeous tile at a time","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572,17143],"tags":[6026,12430,10416,11785,21105,10453],"supplier":[21106],"class_list":["post-116785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","category-recycling","tag-biopolymers","tag-buildingmaterial","tag-circulareconomy","tag-composites","tag-fishscales","tag-recycling","supplier-scale-vision-scalite"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116785\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116785"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=116785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}