Macro fibers - Absorbing oils spills with unpurposed wool

Category: Interior

My master’s thesis explores Swedish wool waste as a sustainable and biodegradable solution for cleaning small boat harbours from oil and heavy metals, pollutants that spread throughout the water column and threaten marine ecosystems. Leakage from boats degrades water quality and calls for new, effective and environmentally friendly methods. In collaboration with wool experts, I developed Macro Fibers, a product made from repurposed wool from the meat industry, of which around 1,000 tons are discarded annually in Sweden. Wool can absorb up to 30 times its weight in oil, and the product can be cleaned and reused multiple times, extending its lifecycle and reducing waste. To ensure the absorbents would become part of the marine environment rather than disturb it, I collaborated with a marine ecologist to explore how underwater species communicate. This led me to nudibranchs sea slugs that use bold colors and striking patterns as warning signals to indicate that they are toxic or unpalatable, encouraging predators to stay away. Inspired by this natural communication system, I designed the Macro Fibers with colors and patterns influenced by nudibranch warning signals, exploring how product design can communicate not only with humans but also with other species. The absorbents symbolize a temporary remediation zone, encouraging marine life to avoid the area while cleanup is taking place. They are also equipped with scale-like textile structures that increase the active surface area for oil uptake, translating microscopic fiber behavior into a larger functional design. By combining ecological communication with material performance, the project explores how design can become an integrated part of the ecosystems it is intended to protect. View process and prototype film here: https://youtu.be/orxwYSMsAx8 https://youtu.be/A28INuPewtA