Tag: Startups

Tomato waste can protect tinned food. Meanwhile another Italian startup is aiming to extend the shelf life of fruit and vegetables - using waste from liquorice production. Certain materials in the ‘sweet root’ are effective against bacteria, viruses and fungal spores. In a patented process, root hairs from the plant are extracted then converted into nanoparticles, which are used...

Waste from beer production can be used as a leather alternative. If breweries aren’t inventing new types of beer, then maintaining the quality of hops is vital. Hops, after all, is what gives beer its distinctive taste. With climate change impacting consistent plant properties, a female-founded startup in Spain is mitigating the risk by growing hops vertically in 10m...

Foliage can be used to make sustainable paper and packaging material. Similarly, a Swedish startup is using seagrass that has been washed ashore to manufacture environmentally-friendly yarn. Until now the plant, which is present in large quantities on beaches, has simply been discarded. A recent feasibility study has shown it can be made into yarn without the addition of...

Pancreatic cancer can be arrested by vitamin D, which is also vital for the function of human immune systems, as well as for bone, muscle and gum development. Yet one in six are vitamin D deficient. To cover the growing demand for additional vitamin D supplements, a French startup is using biosynthesis to produce vitamin D3-oil from mealworms. The...

A robot removes algae from ships’ hulls autonomously. Now, a Norwegian startup is using automated technology to combat mildew and fungal mould on grapevines. Here, too, there is no need for chemicals, as the electrically-powered robot doesn’t employ oil or sulphur, but soft UV-C light. The latter specifically breaks up the DNA of pests and viruses while protecting the...

Rapidly spreading algae makes construction materials more sustainable. High numbers of shore crabs likewise disrupt the maritime ecosystem. Which is why a Danish startup is collecting the invasive beach- and ocean-dwellers using crab baskets or passive fishing nets. Once caught, crab flesh and shell are processed separately into flour and used as animal- or fish-feed supplements. Crab meal powder...

Coffee grounds are a versatile thing: used in everything from sustainable concrete to glasses frames, even offering natural oils for cosmetics. But as a cocoa alternative? It might sound far-fetched, but that’s exactly what a USA-based startup is trying to achieve. The logic is simple enough: from a taste perspective there are similarities between coffee and cocoa. First the...

Microplastics can be filtered during washing, while schoolchildren have already invented ivy-based detergents. Now, a startup in Taiwan has reinterpreted and patented an existing process so that industrial-scale washing can take place without the use of chemical detergents. Their device is installed prior to the inlet of the machine and treats tap water using electrolysis. This generates nano-bubbles with...