**6. Space application**

Space is a challenging environment. Astronauts take all necessary clothes for the time of their mission. They cannot reuse them because there are no washing machines on board spaceships. The price for each kilogram lifted into space ranges from \$10 000 to \$25 000, which means that clothes in space are very expensive considering long-term missions [48]. There were many discussions about solving the clothing problem in space. One idea is to use bacterial cellulose. KMC-derived nanocellulose may be easily and ecologically processed, even in harsh space conditions [18, 33]. Recent studies revealed that bacterial cellulose retains robustness after 18th months of exposure on the International Space Station. Observed cellulose polymer integrity in exposed samples was not significantly changed. Only after a long-term exposure experiment, the mechanical properties of the newly synthesised cellulose were slightly changed compared to ground control BC pellicles. 2.5 years after the exposure experiment, the kombucha microbial consortium did not return to the initial composition. Among cellulose-producing species, komagataeibacter show the most significant potential of survival in extraterrestrial conditions [49, 50]. This observation indicates the need to modify the bacterial consortium to be more resistant to stressors. Genetic modification of the appropriate candidates for cellulose biofabrication meets increasing attention not only for extraterrestrial conditions but also for earthly use (**Figure 5**).

#### **Figure 5.**

*The summary diagram presents a cycle of multiple processing stages of kombucha cellulose. After bacterial cellulose growth in the kombucha brewery (1), the material is processed by lyophilisation, autoclaving and coating with water-resistant medium (2). Kombucha soft material is used for clothes (3). Used clothes are transformed into filters (4). After drying, the cellulose can be used for various applications as paper, storage boxes, labels, kitchen dishes (5). Finally, bacterial cellulose is digested and decomposed in animal breedings and plant cultivations (6). Converted biomass is then used to prepare a growing medium for the kombucha brewery that encloses the cycle.*

### **7. Summary**

Kombucha Microbial Consortium is adapted to live with humans in artificial environments. Several experiments with this microbial community revealed an endless range of plasticity toward desired applications. Despite its health-promoting properties it produces one of the strongest natural biodegradable materials on our planet. A significant advantage of KMC is the zero-waste production in systems ranging all scales of cellulose biofabrication. Its organization as a micro ecosystem provides strong advantages over most microorganisms of biotech value: resistance to contamination, ease of cultivation, and high versatility. Systems and synthetic biology could be used to enhance KMC's biotechnological features but the pure beauty with this multi species community is that everyone can use it at home without sophisticated science. Each person can produce healthy probiotic drinks and eco-fabrics for daily life. Plastic packages and bags can be replaced by home-made bacterial cellulose.

*Bacterial Cellulose: Multipurpose Biodegradable Robust Nanomaterial DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98880*
