In 2022, Ayaka Yamada, Aravind Srinivasachari, Joonas Nuorala and Mikko Peura from Aalto University created SIROTA, a new cellulose and sucrose composite fiber that can serve as a biodegradable and transparent alternative to glass.
The interdisciplinary team was tutored at CHEMARTS laboratory by Tapani Vuorinen, Pirjo Kääriäinen and Janika Lehtonen, representing design and chemical engineering.
The project is part of Biodesign Challenge (BDC) 2022, and it’s the third time a team from Aalto University is participating in the competition. Biodesign Challenge is an international education program and competition in the field of biodesign. The competition has been arranged every year since 2016.
Instructors
Pirjo Kääriäinen is Associate Professor of Design and Materialities at Aalto University’s School of Arts, Design, and Architecture. Her background is in textile design and manufacturing. Together with professor Tapani Vuorinen she has facilitated the interdisciplinary CHEMARTS collaboration between the School of Arts, Design, and Architecture (ARTS) and the School of Chemical Engineering (CHEM) since 2011. CHEMARTS aims to inspire students and researchers to explore design-driven approaches in materials research and to create future-oriented concepts, applications, and business seeds for a more sustainable world of materials.
Tapani Vuorinen is Professor of Forest Products Chemistry at Aalto University’s School of Chemical Engineering, Finland. He has co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers on the structure and chemistry of plant biomass and its conversion into chemical and material products. His current research focuses on the chemistry, nanostructure, and reactivity of the plant cell wall. Tapani has promoted collaboration between academic disciplines, external stakeholders, and the public through co-organizing interdisciplinary CHEMARTS courses, in-person boot camps, and other partnerships within industrial companies and secondary schools.
Janika Lehtonen is working as a university teacher in the CHEMARTS program at Aalto University. She holds a DSc Tech degree in bioproduct technology from Aalto University. She is interested in the new opportunities provided by sustainable bio-based materials and multidisciplinary collaboration in the fields of science, art, and design. Her research studies the biofabrication of nanocellulosic 3D structures and the utilization of cellulose nanomaterials for water purification.