Tag: Waste

In India, leaves are being converted to fertiliser and farm stubble used to make packaging material - instead of being burned. Organic waste can be used in a variety of sustainable solutions. But what if you lack the material to implement a solution in practice? Enter a US-based startup and their platform which allows biological waste to be both...

Coffee grounds are a key ingredient in sustainable concrete, while tiles made from eggshells are perfect for naturally-made interior fittings. Corn cobs, too, can help reduce CO2 emissions in the building trade. A Dutch startup shreds dried corn waste and presses the scraps mixed with binding agent into panels at temperatures of up to 150 degrees. These panels are...

Seaweed can be used as a fire retardant. In Berlin, meanwhile, a female designer has developed a thin algae-based film and coated it with a natural dye. The aim? To stop still edible food being wasted. Her film changes colour according to the pH value of what it’s covering, reacting upon contact with gases like ammonia, produced when fish...

Security labels without silicon can prevent theft. Still, no electronic sensor functions without a wireless connection. The power supply required for such devices has an impact on battery size. Which is why a Norwegian-based startup has developed a new circuit architecture for wireless chips, so that they work in the subthreshold region. At 3.3 volts, conventional components need around...

Haute couture made from hair is a distinct possibility. Wool, meanwhile, isn’t just suitable for winter jumpers. The proof? Look no further than this England-based startup, which is using sheep’s wool to produce chairs. The team realised that fewer and fewer carpets were being made from the wool of two common UK breeds. Too good to be the waste...

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...

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...

Modern, environmentally-friendly vintage cars aren't as contradictory as it sounds. Electric vehicle races are well established too. And now one of the British teams has built a drivable prototype entirely from electronic waste: they used discarded E-cigarettes, cell phones, laptops and charging cables. The waste came from companies and school pupils, and the concept was jumpstarted together with a...