Tag: BioTech

In the Netherlands, corn is a source of sustainable tiles. In California, however, a startup is using corn waste to create a super-absorbent and biodegradable material to replace the petrochemical liners in products like nappies and hygiene pads. The team developed special microorganisms to convert the corn’s sugar into a polymer, which can absorb as much liquid as materials...

AI can find sustainable materials for the textile industry. A startup in England, meanwhile, is focusing on the circular economy and the power of nature to create non-toxic colouration technology. Plants owe their dazzling colour to crystals present in their cell walls, which reflect light differently depending on how they are arranged. The team extracts these crystals from the...

Crustaceans make conductive gel in zinc-ion batteries more environmentally-friendly. And now a Toronto-based university research team has likewise found inspiration in nature while developing sustainable electrodes. During batteries’ charge and discharge cycles, ions move from a conductive layer (conglutinated with the energy-saving base material of the electrodes - zinc) back and forth between cathode and anode. Instead of forever...

Tree bark can be an alternative to single-use plastic. Meanwhile a Finnish PhD student has alighted on pine bark as a filter for removing pharmaceutical residues from liquid waste. Treated wastewater often contains traces of medication such as blood pressure medicine or antidepressants. Antibiotics are particularly problematic as their presence helps pathogens develop resistance. The female researcher fortified the...

Cardamom provides protection against pathogens. And, as an Australia-based research team recently discovered, pathogens can also be held at bay using peppermint essential oil. This could be particularly important in the context of medical devices. In an initial test, plasma was used to apply an extremely thin film of peppermint oil to a urinary catheter. Enabling the oil molecules...

Spirit production provides furniture in Scotland. And as another Scottish startup discovered, whisky by-products can also help reduce overfishing. The team uses distillery waste water to manufacture Omega-3s. Wild fish are known to be a rich source of the fatty acids, but they actually acquire them by eating algae. The team used the waste from whisky distillation (including barley)...

Oral cancer can be detected using saliva. But, as an Australian research team recently discovered, saliva can also provide information about possible heart failure. Key here: new biomarker S100A7. Heart failure patients have twice as much of it in their saliva as healthy people. The team developed a protein detector which the biomarker could attach itself to, thus making itself...

Proteins are known to give viruses a hard time. And speaking of ‘hard time’, proteins could soon be used in criminal proceedings. According to an Australian research team, when hair samples fail to provide DNA, hair proteins can be equally good at individual identification. Why? Because proteins’ structure, like DNA, comprises a sequence of amino acids. Genetically variant peptides...