From Flora to Footwear
1 . Algae lives on carbon dioxide , water and nutrients , sequestering carbon from the atmosphere into an oil similar to petroleum .
2 . Students use solvents and heat to extract the oil from algae , then chemically convert it into a “ polyol "— a viscous liquid that resembles honey .
3 . The polyol is mixed with a chemical that reacts to make polyurethane . The ratio of the mixture determines rigidity — softer for the footpad , harder for a more durable bottom .
4 . The polyurethane is poured into molds and baked into foam soles .
5 . The soles are trimmed and glued together , fitted with a strap and ready for wear .
6 . At the end of their life as footwear , Triton Soles can biodegrade back into the environment .
Bright Ideas
Triton Soles was one of eight projects to receive pilot funding from UC San Diego ’ s new Accelerating Innovations to Market program , an effort to bring more laboratory inventions to commercial use and global benefit . Among the other researchers ' projects : students are far more engaged when they ’ re actually trying to solve a problem . Most people will tell you that our students are really , really bright , but they don ’ t always have practical experience . This is a way to provide them with that .”
As the first product for Algenesis , Triton Soles will allow faculty and students to fine tune the chemistry and manufacturing process to produce not only shoe soles , but eventually larger items like car seats , tires and many other products traditionally made from petroleum .
“ Petroleum comes from algae that lived in the ancient oceans hundreds of millions of years ago ,” says Mayfield . “ A lot of people don ’ t know that . But what that means is anything we can make from petroleum , we can ultimately make from algae .”
For now , Triton Soles are only available in limited supply . The company aims to produce a larger run of a few thousand
“ A flip-flop is the number one shoe in the world . ... In fact , one of the largest pollutants in the ocean is polyurethane from flipflops and other shoes .”
— PROFESSOR STEVE MAYFIELD
test pairs , and lucky for Tritons , they have singled out UC San Diego alumni for first dibs .
“ It ’ s going to be a little while before you can buy one of these flip-flops in the store , but not too long ,” says Mayfield . “ Our plan is that in the next year , you ’ ll be able to go into the store and buy an Algenesis flip-flop that is sustainable , biodegradable and invented by students at UC San Diego .”
Want to get your hands ( or feet ) on an early pair of Triton Soles ? Reach out to us at tritonmag @ ucsd . edu for more info !
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