In Illinois, CO2 electrolysis and conversion firm OCOchem has partnered with agribusiness giant ADM to build a field demonstration plant using OCOchem’s Carbon FluX Electrolyzer technology. The plant will be co-located within ADM’s corn processing complex in Decatur, Illinois and will convert biogenic CO2 from ADM’s ethanol production stream to formate molecules, which can be […]
In the UK, Central Saint Martins graduate Noé Chouraqui has created Point, a 3D-printed tennis ball made from biobased and recyclable materials. Conventional tennis balls contain synthetic rubber and take up to 400 years to break down in the environment. According to Chouraqui, over 300 million tennis balls are produced annually. Most end up in […]
In London, Central Saint Martins graduate Hinna Khan has created a simple electronic device from conductive wool. Dubbed WoolTech, Khan was able to replace petroleum-based materials traditionally used to make wires and circuit boards with wool that was laser-treated to possess conductive pathways. The wool that was not treated with the laser formed natural insulation. […]
In France, a flax-fiber composite is finding a home in rackets for padel, a fast-growing sport that marries tennis and squash. Dubbed TeXtreme R Biobased-Flax®, the material is lightweight and dampens vibrations, making it ideal for Europe’s answer to pickleball. EcoTechnilin, a division of the agricultural cooperative NatUp, provides the premium flax fibers to Oxeon, […]
In Michigan, Cross Plains Solutions has developed a soybean-based alternative to Aqueous Film-Forming Foam, a firefighting foam that contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Dubbed SoyFoam TF 1122, CPS’ material was developed with funding from the United Soybean Board. It is PFAS free, biodegradable, and 70% biobased. Patrick Butler, a former firefighter and co-owner of PK […]
In Seoul, researchers at Kyunghee University have developed a biodegradable battery using coffee grounds. Led by Jin Seong-hoon, a professor at KU’s Department of Information Display, the team found that using coffee grounds as a frame material around magnesium alloy and molybdenum trioxide electrodes created a stable battery that biodegrades within 60 days. Applications include […]
In Europe, Tiderock Companies has signed a Master Exclusive Distribution Agreement with NextGen Bioplastics that grants Tiderock exclusive rights to distribute NextGen’s bioplastic products across European Union, Great Britain, and Ireland. The deal leverages Tiderock’s established market relationships across quick service restaurants, food producers and transportation companies, to capitalize on the Europe’s accelerating shift to […]
In the Netherlands, juice maker Hoogesteger has signed a conditional offtake agreement for polyethylene furanoate biopolymer produced by Avantium. PEF has an oxygen barrier far better than polyethylene terephthalate, the petrochemical currently used in many bottling applications. PEF also maintains its mechanical strength at thinner extrusions than PET. This means the switch to PEF will […]
In California, Algenesis Labs has commissioned its Bio-Iso™ pilot plant, which is producing 100% biogenic carbon isocyanate. Unlike traditional isocyanates derived from petroleum and manufactured using highly toxic phosgene, Bio-Iso™ is made from plant-based dicarboxylic acids and manufactured without the use of phosgene. This novel process is both modular and scalable, setting a new benchmark […]
In Slovenia, students at University of Ljubljana have used biobased materials for a variety of design projects, including a biodegradable urn made of blood and hair. The school told design publication dezeen, which cosponsors the projects, that the projects are the culmination of University of Ljubljana’s Industrial Design course. The goal is to “educate responsible, […]
