DEE
The Difusser
The DEE series's purpose is to utilize alternative scrap materials as aggregates to replace pebbles to regenerate value in them and decrease the usage of natural resources.
One of the most crucial physical characteristics of Woodchip integrated cement is the ability to absorb liquid, which is a fitting materiality for a scent diffuser, the pores in the wood chip can absorb the essential oils and release them slowly, creating a subtly scented environment.
01
Woodchip
The US produces approximately 20-21 million tons of wood chips approximately. Wood chips are usually being reused in gardening or reformed into MDF or fire starters. But all those applications are mostly not increasing their market value. In this case, mixed with cement, which is a material that will still be used anyways, creates a higher value with very low costs.
02
Why Cement?
Since concrete usually uses pebbles and sand as aggregates, it creates a big demand for raw materials. To serve the demand, it causes deforestation in many places and it's not a problem that has been addressed properly. Exploring the quality of woodchip concrete creates new options for different applications with lower environmental compact.
03
Manufacturing
Method
Since concrete can be easily cast, it doesn't require a new methodology to manufacture. However, the result wasn't ideal since there were too many small corners that could trap air bubbles which is something that can be optimized by modifying the design.
04
The Result
Although the result from the molding wasn't ideal, the overall performance of the products was to my expectation. It absorbs essential oils nicely and holds different sizes of bottles. The user experience of having the bottle sit in the concavity was intuitive and the subtlety of how they diffuse the scent into the environment was satisfying.
