Peat fires can be quickly extinguished using natural surfactants.
A magnetic sponge, meanwhile, could help clean oil slicks in the ocean. Recycled hair, it transpires, could do the job too.
That’s thanks to the work of a female founder from Kiel, who knows how good hair is at absorbing oil and pollutants.
Once her startup has collected hair waste from salons, the residues are packed in compression stockings. Lined up in the harbour or in open water, any oil spillages can then be easily absorbed.
Whereas felted hair mats could be used to soak up sunscreen films on lakes, and to filter water in urban drains.
In South Korea, meanwhile, work has been underway to develop an alternative solution from pollen.
