Quirk Heaven is the place for first world solutions, and sustainability plays a big role. That’s why when I saw the edible water bottle for the first time, my jaw dropped. It’s too good to be true! Well, it does exist, but it has a long way to go until it can reach its noble purpose of ending plastic bottle waste.
The edible bottle originates from a chef’s experiments with molecular gastronomy. It’s a biodegradable membrane resulted from mixing Sodium Alginate (seaweed extract) with Calcium Chloride (or Lactate), which solidifies soon after mixing. Pour the mixture over a bowl of water, scoop and seal once the surface membrane hardens and you get water (or other liquid of choice) in a weird looking bulge. This is in theory such a good idea and it has quite good potential as it is right now in reducing plastic waste in some situations that I’ll get to in a moment, but comes also with serious challenges and limitations.
Starting with the good thing about it:
- it’s safe to eat it as it has no taste or just sip your drink out of it and throw it away
- the edible bottle is biodegradable and decomposes naturally in 4 to 6 weeks as opposed to the plastic bottle, which takes at least 450 years to completely break down
- creates less plastic waste
- you can do it at home, using liquids or frozen beverages, which make it easier to manipulate and mold the seal airtight
- you can fill it with all sorts of drinkable liquids
- for hygienic reasons and extra layer can be added and peeled off before consumption
- cheaper to produce than the plastic bottle, almost free if you do it yourself:
How to make edible bottles at home in 4 steps:
- Take a bowl, pour 1 cup of water and add 1 gram of sodium alginate, then blend with a mixer and wait 15 minutes until the air bubbles clear out
- Take another bowl, pour 4 cups of water, add 5 grams of calcium lactate and stir with a spoon until dissolved
- Scoop with a spoon and place spoon sized portions of sodium alginate into the calcium lactate bowl. Spheres start forming instantly. Make sure to leave enough space for the blobs to move: once the bottles are taking shape, stir softly for about 3 minutes until the gel stabilizes
- Place the “bottles” in fresh water to stop the reaction
Unfortunately the edible bottle still has a long way to go to replace the plastic one:
- the size is limited by the membrane’s fragility, smaller blobs work best
- not suitable for carbonated drinks
- doesn’t resist well with shock, heat, transport and handling, storage
- short shelf life due to its biodegradable state
- may require additional packaging, which contradicts its sustainability
- prone to contamination, can become a health hazard
- not hygienic handling it unless you wash your hands before, which is in most cases inconvenient
- can’t be safely carried in a backpack or bag
It can however help reduce waste nowadays, during festivals for instance and sport activities, but I doubt this startup will be able to take it to the market as it is now.