Collaborate Disseminate
While all non-recyclable plastics aren’t very eco-friendly, expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam is particularly problematic, as it’s bulky and frequently used in disposable packaging. It could one day be replaced by a new biodegradable material, however, m… Continue reading Sawdust-based material could be an eco-friendly alternative to EPS foam
If you’re designing a plastic for applications such as food packaging, you want it to stay clean but you don’t want it to stick around for centuries once discarded. A new lotus-leaf-inspired material may fit that bill.Continue ReadingCategory: Material… Continue reading Leaf-inspired bioplastic shrugs off liquids and biodegrades in soil
It’s ironic that even though many people are starving, a great deal of food gets discarded because it spoils before it can be eaten. A new natural-source packaging material could help, by making foods last longer – plus it’s biodegradable.Continue Read… Continue reading Corn-based biodegradable film shown to help fresh foods last longer
As 3D-printed electrical circuits become more widely produced, the problem of electronic waste could correspondingly get worse. That’s why Swiss scientists have developed a new natural-source “e-ink” that biodegrades once discarded.Continue ReadingCate… Continue reading Biodegradable e-ink makes for eco-friendlier 3D-printed electronics
Although there are now biodegradable single-use electronic devices such as environmental sensors, the batteries which power those devices can still pose an ecological problem. That’s why scientists have now created a fully biodegradable paper-based bat… Continue reading Flexible paper-based battery is designed to biodegrade once discarded
Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam is a problematic material, in that it’s cheap and lightweight but also non-biodegradable and difficult to recycle. German scientists have developed a possible alternative, though – foam made out of popcorn.Continue Readi… Continue reading Popcorn used to create an eco-friendly alternative to polystyrene foam
Producing leather from animal skin is a practice humans have engaged in for thousands of years, but the environmental consequences of modern processing techniques have led some to seek a greener alternative. Among them are scientists at Finland’s VTT T… Continue reading Scientists produce continuous sheets of sustainable mushroom leather
As Internet-of-Things technology continues to evolve, we’re going to see an increasing number of battery-powered connected devices – some of which will be single-use, like shipping packaging. A new biodegradable mini-capacitor has been created with suc… Continue reading Biodegradable mini-capacitor could help reduce electronic waste
Plastic is a major environmental issue, since most of it doesn’t break down easily – and even when it does, it usually forms microplastic pieces that pose their own problems. A new type of compostable plastic is embedded with enzymes that, when trigger… Continue reading Embedded enzymes make for compostable plastics that break down in days
Last year, we heard how scientists had created eco-friendly soft gel particles from hard grains of pollen. Now, they’ve used those particles to create sponges that could soak up oil spills, then biodegrade once used up.Continue ReadingCategory: Environ… Continue reading Biodegradable plant-pollen sponges could soak up oil spills