Tag: Material

Home food waste can be sent off to make chicken feed. But what about unused paint in cellars and garages? In the US alone, around 320 million litres of paint each year end up being incinerated, or worse, thrown in the garbage. Not good enough, thought founders of a Michigan-based startup and developed a new recycling process. Unused latex...

Fires can be extinguished in an environment-friendly way. Water- and grease-proof coatings, meanwhile, often contain substances which are hard to break down. They are already found in drinking water: so-called ‘forever chemicals’ belonging to the PFAS group. Among others, a research team from the University of British Columbia is after them and has developed a new material that can...

Paper made from banana plants protect potatoes from pathogens. An important development for a Swedish design studio, which has produced a curved juice bottle made from a potato starch-based material. It dissolves in water after use and can also be eaten or composted. Thanks to a double-sided, biodegradable coating, the bottle can withstand liquid contents. Once empty, the material...

A spray could provide Parkinson’s patients with faster, more targeted help. Treating internal wounds is often expensive, however, as biological material must be implanted as part of the recovery process. Which is why a research team in Sydney has developed a thin robotic arm with an integrated 3D printer. Due to flexible hydraulics, the arm can be operated like...

New schools are being built from old plastic; new chipboard from the waste from cocoa crops. Now, two graduates from Denver University want to do something about the 80 million used tyres residing nearby. They have reversed the thermoplastic process by which rubber is made into synthetic plastic. During the so-called devulcanization process, toxins and sulphur components are broken...

Used chewing gum can be transformed into skateboard wheels. Beaches, meanwhile, benefit from crushed used glass. Broken surfboards left by the sea are less hip, however. Therefore, a Welsh designer has developed a surfboard that serves as a breeding ground for corals in its second life. The skeleton is 3D-printed from biodegradable material, and filled with fungal spores and...

Tailored prosthetics create optimal conditions for movement. When it comes to the body of electric cars, design depends on established battery sizes and desired performance. In order to create more flexibility, a US startup has developed a manufacturing process, whereby solid-state batteries are 3D printed. Different sorts of powder made from glass, ceramics or metal can be combined in...

Sustainable rucksacks and bananas stem from the same tree. Now a young female founder in Nigeria is using banana fibre, organic cotton and cassava starch to produce sanitary pads. The aim: to ensure her fellow countrywomen have access to comfortable, reliable hygiene products during their periods. The pad is not only 30% cheaper than conventional products, but also completely...