Renewable Chemicals

In China, researchers at Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology have converted tobacco stalks into cellulose nanopaper with improved tensile strength and water...

In London, the Nanotera Group has launched plant-based surfactants for enhanced oil recovery. The cleaning agents reduce processing time by performing quickly, Nanotera says. "The oil...

In Colorado, chemists at Colorado State University have chemically synthesized bacterial poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) from biobased succinate—a route that could be cheaper than fermentation-based synthesis of...

In Mexico, Biofase is making straws out of avocado pits—a concept poised to gain ground as plastic straw bans proliferate globally. Based in Michoacán, Biofase...

In California, World Centric is producing compostable coffee cups from sugarcane fiber, a byproduct of the sugarcane extraction process. Coffee cups have been a particularly...

In Scotland, a fashion student has used fermented kombucha tea, sugar, bacteria and yeast to produce clothing. Aurelie Fanton, 23, studies at Edinburgh College of...

In Taiwan, sustainable fabric maker Singtex is using organic materials to produce biobased textiles. The Biotec series includes materials made out of coffee grounds and...

In Cincinnati, Procter & Gamble brand Herbal Essences has partnered with United Kingdom’s Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew) to incorporate botanical science into its shampoos...

In Austria, fashion label Sabinna and the Wearable technologists Engage with Artists for Responsible innovation (WEAR) project have developed a process to turn used...

In Australia, researchers are using waste oil from oranges, tea trees, and eucalyptus as a diesel blend stock with comparable performance to all-diesel fuel. Queensland...