Why "biofabrication" is the next industrial revolution | Suzanne Lee

翻译人员: Wanting Zhong 校对人员: psjmz mz

I started life as a fashion designer,

刚开始我是一名时尚设计师，

working closely with textile designers and fabric suppliers.

和纺织品设计师与 面料供应商密切合作。

But today, I can no longer see or talk to my new collaborators,

但今天，我已看不见我的 新晋合作伙伴，也没法与它们对话，

because they're in the soil beneath our feet,

因为它们在脚下的泥土里，

on the shelves of our supermarkets

在超市的货架上，

and in the beer I'm going to drink when I finish this talk.

以及这次演讲后 我将畅饮的啤酒里。

I'm talking about microbes

我指的是微生物，

and designing with life.

以及用生物进行设计。

Fifteen years ago,

十五年前，

I completely changed both what I worked with

在和一位生物学家 启发式的合作后，

and how I worked

我彻底改变了工作的对象

after a revelatory collaboration with a biologist.

以及工作的方式。

Our project gave me a different perspective on life,

我们的项目给了我 看待生命的不同视角，

introducing a whole new world of possibility

围绕我们如何 设计与制造物品

around how we can design and make things.

打开了充满可能性 的全新世界。

I discovered a radical manufacturing proposition:

我发现了一种 变革式的制造理念：

biofabrication.

生物制造。

Literally, fabricating with biology.

如字面意义，用生物学制造。

What does that mean?

这是什么意思？

Well, instead of processing plants, animals or oil

不通过加工植物、 动物或原油

to make consumer materials,

获得消费品材料，

we might grow materials directly with living organisms.

而是直接用生物体 培养材料。

In what many are terming "the Fourth Industrial Revolution,"

在很多人称为“第四次 工业革命”的进程中，

we're thinking about the new factories as being living cells.

我们在考虑将活细胞 作为新的工厂。

Bacteria, algae, fungi, yeast:

细菌、藻类、真菌、酵母：

our latest design tools include those of biotechnology.

我们最新的设计工具 包括了生物科技。

My own journey in biofabrication

我自己的生物制造旅程

started with a project called "Biocouture."

是由一个名为“Biocouture” （生物服装）的项目开始的。

The provocation was that instead of growing a plant, like cotton,

其发想在于，并不是 花费几个月时间

在地里栽培作物，比如棉花；

in a field over several months,

we could use microbes to grow a similar cellulose material in a lab

而是只用几天时间， 在实验室里用微生物

培养出类似的纤维材料。

in a few days.

Using a certain species of bacteria in a nutrient-rich liquid,

在营养丰富的培养液里 用一特定种类的细菌，

we fermented threads of cellulose

我们将纤维素的线发酵，

that self-organized into a sheet of fabric.

它们自行编组 形成了一张布料。

I dried the fabric I had grown

我晾干自己培养的布料后，

and cut and sewed it into a range of garments, shoes and bags.

把它剪开，缝制成了 各种衣物、鞋子和手袋。

In other words, in one lab we grew materials

换句话说， 在实验室里，

我们培养材料并把它们 转换成一系列产品

and turned them into a range of products

in a matter of days.

只需要几天时间。

And this is in contrast to currents methods of fabric production,

与之对比鲜明的是 当今的织物生产工艺：

where a plant is grown,

种植作物，

just the cotton part is harvested,

仅收获棉花部分，

processed into a yarn,

处理制成纱线，

woven into a fabric

纺织成面料，

and then potentially shipped across oceans

可能被海运至各地，

before being cut and sewn into a garment.

再裁剪、缝制成衣物。

All of that can take months.

所有这些工序可能会 花上好几个月的时间。

So these prototypes indicated a field

因此，生物制造的原型显示了

offering significant resource efficiencies.

这个领域能显著提升资源效率。

From reducing the water, energy and chemistry needed

从减少生产材料的工序

所需的水、能源和化学品，

in the production of a material,

through to generating zero waste,

到实现零废料，

we grew fabrics to finished form --

我们培养织物，使其生成成品——

if you like, "biological additive manufacture."

如果想的话，可以称之为 “生物添加制造”。

Through biofabrication,

通过生物制造，

I had replaced many intensive man-made steps

我可以用一个生物工序步骤

取代许多步高强度的人工工艺。

with one biological step.

And as I engaged with this living system,

当我开始使用这个生物系统，

it transformed my design thinking.

它便转变了我的设计理念。

Here was biology, with no intervention from me

这就是生物学，

除了设计培养的初始条件， 不需我多加干预，

other than designing initial conditions for growth,

efficiently producing a useful, sustainable material.

就能高效地生产有用的、 可持续的材料。

So now I can't help but see all materials through the lens of biofabrication.

现在，我无法不透过生物制造 的镜片去审视所有材料。

In fact, there's a growing global community of innovators

事实上，已经有一个日益壮大 的全球性革新者团体，

rethinking materials with biology.

正在用生物学重新思考材料。

Multiple companies are now growing mushroom materials,

若干公司现在正在培养蘑菇材料，

but not literally mushrooms --

并不是字面意义的蘑菇——

using mycelium, which is the root system of fungi,

而是使用菌类的根系统，菌丝体，

to bind together agricultural byproducts.

将农业副产品结合在一起。

It's a process that's been described as "nature's glue."

这个过程被称为“自然胶水”。

A common way to do this is to take a 3-D mold,

常见做法是在三维模具中

fill it with a waste crop like corn stalks or hemp,

填满玉米杆或亚麻籽 之类的废弃作物，

add water,

加上水，

wait a few days for the mycelium to grow throughout,

等几天让菌丝体充分生长，

remove the mold,

移除模具，

and you're left with a grown 3-D form.

就得到了长成的三维形体。

Incredibly, we can grow all kinds of structures

不可思议的是，我们可以用生物体

using living organisms,

培养各式各样的结构，

from foams that can replace plastics in footwear,

从可以取代鞋履中塑料的泡沫，

to leather-like materials without animals.

到不需要动物的类皮革材料。

Furniture, flooring -- all are currently being prototyped.

家具、地板—— 这些都在试制过程中。

Fungi are able to grow materials that are naturally fire retardant,

真菌可以生成 天然耐火材料，

without any chemicals.

不需要化学添加剂。

They're naturally hydrophobic,

它们天生就具疏水性，

meaning they won't absorb water.

意思是它们不会吸收水分。

They have higher melt temperatures than plastics.

它们比塑料的熔点要高。

Polystyrene can take thousands of years to degrade.

聚苯乙烯要花费数千年才能降解。

Mushroom packaging materials

蘑菇制包装材料

can be naturally composted in your back garden

只需 30 天

就能在你的后花园里 变成天然堆肥。

in as little as 30 days.

Living organisms are transforming waste

生物体正在将废弃物

into cost-competitive, performance-matching materials

转换成成本低廉、性能相当的材料，

that can start to replace plastics

可以开始取代塑料

and other CO2-emitting materials.

和其他排放二氧化碳的材料。

And once we start growing materials with living organisms,

而当我们开始用生物培养材料后，

it starts to make previous methods of manufacture seem illogical.

它便开始让先前的制造工艺 显得不合逻辑。

Take the humble house brick.

比方说平凡的砖块。

The cement industry generates around eight percent

全球 8% 的二氧化碳排放

of global CO2 emissions.

是由水泥行业产生的。

That's more than all the planes and ships each year.

这比每年飞机和轮船排放得都多。

The cement process requires materials to be fired in a kiln

加工水泥需要在水泥窑里烧制材料，

at over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

达到 1100 摄氏度以上的高温。

Compare this to bioMASON.

与之相比的是 bioMASON （生物泥瓦匠）。

They use a soil microbe to transform loose aggregates,

他们使用一种土壤微生物，

将砂砾或碎石之类的碎颗粒

like sand or crushed stone,

into a biofabricated, or biocement, brick.

转换成生物制造的砖头， 又称生物水泥砖。

Their process happens at room temperature,

这个反应过程在室温进行，

in just a couple of days.

只需要几天时间。

Think: hydroponics for bricks.

想象一下：水培法制砖。

An irrigation system feeds nutrient-rich water

一个灌溉系统把富含营养的水

to trays of bricks

喂给接种了细菌的

that have been inoculated with bacteria.

一盘盘砖。

The bacteria produce crystals

细菌产生晶体

that form around each grain of sand,

包裹住每一粒沙，

locking together all the loose particles

将这些碎颗粒紧紧锁住，

to form a solid brick.

形成一块结实的砖。

We can now grow construction materials

我们现在能像自然那样优雅地

in the elegant way nature does,

培养建筑材料，

just like a coral reef.

就像珊瑚礁一样。

And these biofabricated bricks are nearly three times stronger

这些生物制造的砖块 比混凝土砖

坚固近三倍。

than a concrete block.

And in stark contrast to traditional cement production,

而与传统水泥工艺 对比鲜明的是，

they store more carbon than they make.

它们贮存的碳比产生的碳还多。

So if we could replace the 1.2 trillion fired bricks

如果我们能用生物制造的砖头

that are made each year

取代每年烧制的

with biofabricated bricks,

1.2 万亿块炉砖，

we could reduce CO2 emissions

那么我们每年就能减少

by 800 million tons every year.

8 亿吨二氧化碳排放。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Beyond growing materials with living organisms,

除了用生物培养材料，

we're even starting to design products

我们甚至开始设计

that encourage their growth.

鼓励它们生长的产品。

And this comes from the realization

这是由于意识到了

that the very thing we've been trying to marginalize -- life --

我们试图边缘化的事物，即生物，

might actually be our greatest collaborator.

恰恰可能是我们最有力的合作者。

To that end, we've been exploring all the ways

为此，我们在探索

能在我们自己的生态系统中 培养健康微生物的各种办法。

that we can grow healthy microbes in our own ecosystems.

A great example of this is architects

一个很好的例子是，建筑师们

who are imagining the skin of a building

在设想让建筑的表皮

to function like the bark of a tree.

像树皮一样运作。

But not as a cosmetic green layer.

但并不是作为美观的绿化层。

They're designing architectural barks

他们在设计建筑用树皮

as hosts for evolving ecologies.

作为演变生态的宿主。

These surface structures are designed to invite life in.

这些表层结构的设计 欢迎生物入住。

And if we applied the same energy we currently do suppressing forms of life

如果我们将现在用于 抑制生物的能量

towards cultivating life,

用在培育生命上，

we'd turn the negative image of the urban jungle

我们就能把都市森林的负面形象

into one that literally embodies a thriving, living ecosystem.

转换成承载了生机盎然 的生态系统的图景。

By actively encouraging surface interactions with healthy microbes,

通过积极地鼓励与健康微生物 在表层的互动，

we could improve passive climate control,

我们可以改善被动气候调控，

stormwater management

雨水管理，

and even reduce CO2 emissions

甚至能通过减少为 建筑物制冷或制热的能源，

by lowering the energy used to heat or cool our buildings.

降低二氧化碳排放。

We're just beginning to realize the potential

我们才刚刚开始意识到

of nature-based technologies.

基于自然的科技的潜力。

I'm excited that we're starting to design and biofabricate

我们正开始设计并用生物制造 一个崭新的材料世界，

a new material world.

对此我感到十分激动。

It's one that moves away from the exploitation

这种科技远离

对不可再生资源的滥用，

of nonrenewable resources

to working with the original, renewable life.

转而与原始的、可再生的生命合作。

Instead of designing out life,

我们不是将生物排除于设计外，

we're designing with it and for it.

而是与生物一起设计， 为生物进行设计。

Packaging, fashion, footwear, furniture, construction --

包装、时尚、鞋履、家具、建筑——

biofabricated products can be grown close to centers of demand,

生物制造的产品可以在 接近需求中心的地方进行培养，

with local resources, less land, energy,

使用当地资源，占地与耗能更少，

and even harnessing industrial waste streams.

甚至能利用工业废料流。

It used to be that the tools of biotechnology

曾经，生物科技的工具

were the preserve of powerful,

只是强大的跨国化学与 生物科技公司

multinational chemical and biotech companies.

的专属品。

In the last century, we expected material innovation

在上个世纪， 我们期待的是

由陶氏杜邦、陶氏化学、 巴斯夫集团带来的材料革新。

to come from the likes of DuPont, Dow, BASF.

But this 21st-century material revolution is being led by start-ups

但这次 21 世纪的材料革命， 其发起者是

团队小、资金有限的创业公司。

with small teams and limited capital.

And by the way, not all their founders have science degrees.

顺便提一下，它们的创始人 并不全是理科出身。

They include artists, architects and designers.

其中包括了艺术家、 建筑师、设计师。

Over a billion dollars has already been invested

生物制造消费者产品

的创业公司已经吸纳了 超过十亿美元的投资。

in start-ups biofabricating consumer products.

I don't think we have a choice but to biofabricate our future.

我觉得，我们没有比生物制造 的未来更好的选择。

From the jacket you're wearing

从你穿着的夹克，

to the chair you're sitting in

到你坐着的椅子，

to the home you live in,

到你居住的房屋，

your designed material world shouldn't compromise your health

设计出的材料世界 不应损害你的健康，

or that of our planet.

或者地球的健康。

If materials can't be recycled

如果材料无法回收利用

or naturally composted at home,

或在家里自然降解，

we should reject them.

我们应当拒绝它们。

I'm committed to making this future a reality

我将致力于实现这样的未来，

by shining a light on all the amazing work

为此我会关注今天正在进行的

所有令人叹服的工作，

being done today

and by facilitating more interactions

并促进设计师、科学家、 投资者与品牌

between designers, scientists, investors and brands.

之间的更多互动。

Because we need a material revolution,

因为我们需要一次材料革命，

and we need it now.

就在当下。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）