Tag: circular economy

Chickpeas are a readymade replacement for coffee. Coffee grounds, meanwhile, can be used for sustainable building projects. A Warsaw-based startup identified the waste product’s potential for the circular economy and developed a patented technology to extract valuable resources from it. Initial attempts a few years ago were certainly helpful. The team’s latest system is set up so that coffee-industry...

Faulty heart valves can regenerate. Tooth enamel, on the other hand, cannot. Until now. Using the knowledge that hair (from humans or sheep) contains keratin, a London-based research team has tried embedding it in dental creams and gels. The keratin combines with minerals in the saliva to form crystals. These, in turn, are fused into a scaffold, which resembles...

Wastewater has already been used to make beer. Now, a research team from the UK is focusing on how to make cow dung contribute to the circular economy. Cellulose fragments were extracted from dried manure using a salty liquid and an organic sulphur compound. Turning them into fibres was more complex and involved adapting a previously developed technology called...

Blood sugar levels can be tested using the magnetometer in smartphones. Permanent magnets, however, are needed for EVs and wind turbines. The rare earths they contain are particularly valuable. Now, a Northern Irish startup is using a patented method to recycle magnets sustainably. The magnets are crushed before being mined for base metals like iron, aluminium or copper using...

Some toys are rightfully unwanted. The multi-coloured building blocks manufactured by a Danish firm, however, have given children and grown-ups joy for decades. But when themed sets are dismantled and the bricks get mixed up, that enjoyment can be lost. Enter an independent Lithuanian startup and its new service for used and undamaged original bricks. The team will first...

The trading of biological waste between companies is good for the environment. But promoting the circular economy is just as important in the private sector. Enter a Romanian non-profit startup and its marketplace, developed to reduce waste from everyday objects while doing good. Participating partner firms provide their employees with the opportunity to sell used items to colleagues. Proceeds...

Banana paper protects potatoes from parasites. After harvesting, potato stems are often burned, since they are hard to compost and unsuitable as animal feed or fertiliser. A London-based startup has recognised their value. In their patent-pending process, fibres are extracted from stems using biological and mechanical processes and spun into yarn. Like cotton, linen or synthetic fibre, it can...

Sustainable background music makes most things easier. Even cleaning. And it could be better yet. A Belgian startup is using spent cooking oil and food waste to produce environmentally-friendly cleaning products. With the help of yeast organisms isolated from bumble bee honey, potato peel and vegetable scraps from the supermarket are fermented in a patented process. The resulting biosurfactants...