Tag: Sustainability

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...

A special bra can help detect early-stage breast cancer. When it comes to skin cancer, early detection is equally vital. In large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, however, treatment is either scarcely available or unaffordable. Which is why a 14-year-old schoolboy has developed a soap to help those affected access a potential cure. Alongside coconut oil, shea butter and honey,...

With a simple box, cars could be safe from theft. Tags on consumer goods are increasingly fitted with an integrated wireless module, which triggers an alarm if the item is stolen. Still, the mix of paper, electronics and adhesives used to make them is equally alarming. Now, a London-based startup is hoping to combat the hard-to-recycle combination with a...

Oyster shells are becoming fashionable. Materials made from willow fibres even protect against harmful UV rays. Now, a former female Masters student in Germany has developed a yarn that keeps water at bay even when immersed in it. Her invention, which is made from recycled and modified plastic, is also completely free from harmful forever-chemicals. Additionally, it protects against...

Recycled glass is saving beaches from erosion; while a remote-controlled buoy could rescue those in peril at sea. Seaweed’s high CO2 uptake means that it is contributing significantly to climate rescue. Still, Sargassum, a brown algae that spreads rapidly (see the 5,000 mile long slick in the Atlantic) has unwanted side effects. It deprives marine life of vital light...

Thanks to a US startup, unused front lawns are feeding the local community. Traditionally, those who want to grow their own vegetables have to plant and tend them themselves. But now an Austrian startup is offering the chance to do everything by app. Using information on ripening season or longevity, virtual gardeners can choose herbs and vegetables that a...

Adding electrons to aluminium can create a rare metal. An Australian student has been thinking in terms of conversion too - only on a greater scale. His idea is to provide existing cars with internal combustion engines with an electric drive function. He developed a compact axial flux motor that is retrofitted onto the brake disc. The energy required...

Wood can replace window glass when its biopolymer lignin is removed. Now, a US research team has discovered that the same polymer can be used in a medical context. They combined lignin from spruce trees with positively charged ammonium ions, whose mildly acidic qualities are effective against mould, viruses and bacteria. Tests showed that an infectious but antibiotic-resistant type...