Tag: Waste

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...

Malleable metal tyres are a revelation. Now a startup from London has developed a patent-pending system which aims to prevent tyre wear from entering the environment. The microplastic pollutants are produced when vehicles accelerate and brake. Using electrostatics and airflow, particles charged from friction with the road are diverted to containers beneath the rear bumper. Captured pollution can be...

Edible construction material may soon be on everyone’s lips. Now, an Italian-Ecuadorian design team is producing versatile new materials using agricultural waste from cocoa crops. Key to the enterprise: the beans’ outer shell. Their first product from crushed and pressed shell remains is a 12-15 cm thick chipboard perfect for furniture or component parts. Further products such as bioplastic...

Pineapple peel is good for fish health, while domestic food waste can be made into chicken feed. Now, a food science research team from Cornell has discovered that an apple a day not only keeps doctors away from humans, but also benefits chickens. Their focus is on pomace, the fibrous waste produced when apples are pressed. It contains enough...

Steel can be replaced by bamboo and tiles made with bacteria. Now, a Japanese research team is converting food waste into biodegradable construction material, using discarded items from supermarkets such as vegetables, tea leaves and coffee grounds. Following their patent-pending process, the food waste is dried, pulverised and then heat-pressed into a mould. Depending on its contents, the resulting...

A natural film keeps food fresh for longer and reduces waste. Now, a startup from San Francisco has developed a private home service-system which converts food waste into nutrient-rich chicken feed. Using an electrically-operated steel container with a charcoal odour filter, kitchen scraps are dried overnight. Once the bin is full after a few weeks, users decant it into...

Magnetic nanoparticles can extract lithium from industrial wastewater. And a research team in Princeton has developed a material which can remove salt and microplastics with at least 98% efficiency. Inspiration came in the form of a sandwich. First, the team mixed bread dough with carbon, varying the recipe by reducing the number of ingredients each time, until eventually only...