Collaborate Disseminate
Last year, scientists at Northwestern University announced a transient pacemaker that dissolves when no longer needed. They’ve now improved the device, and incorporated it into a linked suite of wearable sensors.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, Scien… Continue reading Dissolving pacemaker links up with wearables to better control the heart
Discarded shoes are a particularly bulky form of waste, with their molded rubber soles joined to often synthetic uppers. Blueview shoes reportedly offer a greener alternative, however, as they’re claimed to completely biodegrade once thrown away.Contin… Continue reading Made partially from algae, Blueview shoes are made to fully biodegrade
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