Tag: Research

Recycling rare earths, which are vital for electronic components, is critical. Carbon dioxide is reusable, too, and can generate sustainable electricity - just like in hydroelectric plants. In their test facility, a research team in Texas exchanged water for supercritical CO2. Above a temperature of 31℃ and pressure of 74 bar, sCO2 resembles a gas, but acts more like...

Skin cancer can be treated with a special soap. Peanut allergies are a serious business, too, and a New York-based researcher has been investigating how the body’s tolerance of the snack can be improved. The key, it seems, resides in toothpaste with peanut protein as it can be delivered in controlled doses through the mucous membrane. In a recent...

Waste from apple juice production improves chickens’ health. When they die, chicken feathers are generally burned. This fact gave an international research team from Zurich and Singapore pause. In particular, as the 40 tons of feather waste discarded annually produce CO2 while containing 90% keratin. The team extracted the protein, turned it into extremely fine fibres and used the...

Curcumin is just as effective as chemical agents against stomach acid and heartburn. That plant-based substances have anti-inflammatory properties is well known. According to a Japanese research team, however, there’s a lot more besides. Over a period of 12 weeks, a group of adults with psychological disorders and memory problems received tablets containing 0.8mg 6-MSITC - a bioactive compound...

Origami techniques can help vehicles achieve greater stability, whatever the terrain. Whereas, less stable objects can be lifted by robots with grippers made from soft materials such as cloth or silicon. Though useful, these grippers’ low load capacity is a limiting factor. Enter a Seoul-based research team, which is using a centuries old technique so that robots can grasp...

Wood waste can help remove microplastics from water. Glyphosate, a widely-used and hazardous herbicide, is increasingly present in water, too. Now, a research team from Brazil, where over 170 tonnes of these pesticides are used annually, is on the lookout for a sustainable removal. Waste from sugar production, it seems, might just hold the key. First the team shredded...

A self-dissolving electrode can close open wounds. Plasters with pain-free microneedles do the same. Antibiotics inside them aim to prevent inflammation - but some germs are resistant. How can nature help? The question was posed by Australian researchers experimenting with nanometre-sized particles from black phosphorus. These particles degrade in the presence of oxygen, triggering a chemical reaction which splits...

Used chopsticks are being converted into furniture, while food waste can be redeployed as construction material. And don’t forget about sugarcane. A London-based research team mixed the crop’s fibrous waste with a liquid blend of minerals, then pressed the material into pyramid-like blocks. These can be cured in a week, 21 days fewer than standard concrete. Moreover, they are...