Tag: Startups

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...

A maze-like material keeps insects away from plants. In France, meanwhile, a startup is creating sustainable pesticides from plant scents as around 80% of harmful insects are drawn to by these odours. The team deciphers which scents are particularly attractive for different species, and replicates the molecules in the lab. These can be used for the targeted defence of...

Small villages can inspire innovation for the circular economy in cocoa production. Now an Oxford-based startup is working on a sustainable substitute to the cocoa bean. Sound familiar? This time rather than cell cultures the team is using the plant’s pod. First, the shells are chopped up and, using an age-old Japanese method, fermented with the help of fungi. The...