Tag: Waste

Some stretch jeans are biodegradable, while others use plant-based indigo blue. A good match for the sweaters and T-Shirts manufactured by a Massachusetts-based startup. Its founder’s ocean-inspired clothing line is made from oyster shells and granules from recycled plastic. The shells are ground into a fine powder, blended with the plastic granulate and spun into yarn. This again is...

Agave waste from tequila production can be turned into cutlery. Once the gel from aloe vera plants has been made into moisturising lotion or cream for medical complaints, however, the rest often goes unused. Until now. It all began when a Texas-based research team noticed there were no pests near aloe vera farms. Intrigued, they began looking into the...

Sawdust can be 3D printed into kitchen utensils or cars parts. Now, a Canada-based research team has found a new use for the waste wood, combining it with a layer of tannins. These natural plant compounds, found in berries, tea and coffee, have anti-inflammatory properties and can even filter out UV rays. Aware that tannins also trigger multiple reactions...

Potato starch could help reduce plastic consumption. Algae are perfect for sustainable fire retardants. Food cans have an oil-based inner lacquer made from synthetic polyester resins. Enter an Italian startup that is using waste from industrial tomato processing to create a plant-based alternative inspired by an old patent. First, the skins are separated from the waste. After thermal treatment...

Thanks to tequila, sustainable cutlery is a reality. Beer has already inspired researchers to develop alternatives to animal feed. Lately, a London-based startup has been working with brewers to develop a leather alternative using the spent grain from the brewing process. A combination of plant proteins and fibres and non-toxic chemicals creates a dark, biodegradable material with similar properties...

Powder made from pineapple waste is a superfood for fish. Forget salmon or beef tenderloin: pets can get all the nutrients they need from soldier fly larvae. And so can livestock. Up until now soldier fly larvae have been predominantly reared on starchy chicken feed. Still, thought a Danish research team, why not experiment with an organic waste product...

Peat fires can be quickly extinguished using natural surfactants. A magnetic sponge, meanwhile, could help clean oil slicks in the ocean. Recycled hair, it transpires, could do the job too. That’s thanks to the work of a female founder from Kiel, who knows how good hair is at absorbing oil and pollutants. Once her startup has collected hair waste...

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...