Machine makes orange juice and produces glasses from the peels
Developed in Italy, the Feel the Peel is an orange juice machine perfectly integrated into the circular economy
Italian design studio Carlo Ratti Associati has created an orange juice machine that uses fruit peels to produce the glasses in which the drink is served. THE Feel the Peel was created in partnership with the energy company Eni and aims to show that the circularity of the economy is something tangible.
- What is Circular Economy?
The machine is over three meters high and has a capacity for 1.5 thousand oranges, which are stored on top of the equipment, forming a kind of circular roof. When ordering a juice, the oranges slide through the structure, are cut and squeezed inside the machine.
The shells are deposited in a transparent compartment at the bottom of the equipment. This material is collected and dried, forming a powder that is mixed with polylactic acid (PLA) to become bioplastic.
The mixture is then heated to form filaments, which feed the 3D printer attached to the machine and print the cups for users.
The production of the filament that gives rise to the cups does not happen right away, as the orange peel takes some time to dry and the mixture with PLA needs to be done in the laboratory.
Project creator Carlo Ratti explains the principle behind this innovative orange juice machine: “We try to show circularity in a very tangible way, developing a machine that helps us understand how oranges can be used far beyond juice. . Upcoming interactions may include new functions such as fabric printing for clothes using orange peel.”
