Tag: Sustainability

Historical smells no longer belong to the past. Methane, however, is odourless, and usually slips undetected into the atmosphere. Traditional methods of recovering the greenhouse gas, where people with handheld devices scour rubbish depots or faulty pipelines, are expensive. Yet methane can be deployed as a sustainable energy source to produce hydrogen. Cue a Michigan-based startup which has developed a patented drone complete...

Coral landscapes can be re-generated with the help of probiotics. Using the body’s stem cells for bone grafts sometimes leads to complications or disease transmission. But the alternative - so-called xenograft materials from mammalian tissue - is both ethically and environmentally problematic. Which explains why a research team from Oslo has developed a sustainable solution, using eggshells. As well as calcium and...

Filters can rid water of pollutants directly at the source. Now, an LA-based startup is aiming to remove CO2 from seawater. Why? The world’s oceans store around 30% of annual CO2 emissions and can absorb 150 times more of the gas than air. But as coral death shows, the situation is far from ideal. The new process sees carbon...

Insoles from mushroom spores keep our feet healthy in all weathers. A shoe made by a German startup, meanwhile, is destined to benefit both our budget and closet space. The foundation resembles a thick sneaker sock with a rubber base, the accompanying soles are interchangeable. Slip them off at home to create slippers, and back on to go about...

Balancing cloud usage can keep emissions and energy costs at bay. Meanwhile, an English startup is aiming to reduce both in public swimming pools by building data centres near the baths and using their thermal discharge to heat the water. All that’s required is a digital boiler. The startup bears the costs for the electricity as well as the...

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...

Overseas goods could soon be delivered cleanly by ship; while food waste plays a decisive role in the skies. Now, a Munich-based startup is looking to help people reach their destinations without spending hours changing trains. For the design of their small aircraft, which can hold 9 passengers plus crew, the team took inspiration from gliders. The batteries for...