In Australia, a startup sustainably cultivating seaweed has been chosen as a finalist for Prince William’s 2024 Earthshot Prize. Coast 4C works with farmers in the Philippines to plant seaweed that can be used to produce gelling agents, thickeners, stabilizers and potentially bioplastics. To date, it has helped farmers plant 280 hectares of seaweed in […]
In New York, design lab OXMAN has unveiled O°, a biomaterial, digital, and robotic technology platform that powers the production of biobased textiles and wearables that are 100% biodegradable when disposed of, made entirely with organic material and without petrochemicals or glues, and producing no microplastics. The first product to be created using O° platform […]
In India, Barracuda Technologies Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of San Francisco-based startup Barracuda Technologies Inc., has completed its first modular biorefinery project. The semi-commercial scale facility uses a proprietary biomass fractionation process to convert agricultural waste, including rice straw, wheat straw, banana stems, bagasse, Palm EFB, Brachiaria (Brazil), and hemp, into materials like lignin, cellulose, […]
In the Netherlands, Wageningen University has begun a project to advance sustainable fuel production using algae. Dubbed SUN-PERFORM, the project uses synthetic biology and nanotechnology to enhance algae’s light-capturing efficiency for photosynthesis. The project has been granted €4 million (US$4.5 million) from Horizon Europe, a €93.5-billion effort to address climate change. According to Wageningen University, […]
In Iowa, Green Plains Inc. has achieved ongoing production of dextrose syrups at the world’s first commercial deployment of its Clean Sugar Technology. Designed by Fluid Quip Technologies, the system produces dextrose and glucose corn syrups with up to a 40% lower carbon-intensity than existing alternatives. The ingredients are designed for renewable chemicals, biobased materials […]
In Pennsylvania, Preferred Sands, a manufacturer of infill for synthetic turf, has received the USDA Certified Biobased Product label for its OptiFILL+ Antimicrobial Coated Sand infill. With over 40% biobased content, OptiFILL+ offers a “sustainable solution for sports fields, landscaping, and pet applications.” The company did not provide details on the biobased materials used in […]
In Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are using a biobased material to 3D-print custom roosting structures for endangered bats. The custom wildlife roosting structure was 3D printed at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL using pine wood flour and polylactic acid. The material’s biodegradability promotes a healthy habitat, since habitats that persist in the […]
In California, a pet food startup focused on using sustainable proteins has partnered with cellular agriculture firm Novel Farms to source cultivated meat to feed family fidos and felines. According to vegconomist, the companies are developing prototypes with hopes to launch a product in 2025. Friends & Family Pet Food aims to move from “factory-farmed […]
In Denmark, Scandinavian-aesthetic furniture brand TAKT has introduced apple waste-based Leap material from Beyond Leather Materials in 8 of its most iconic chair designs. TAKT product developer Michael Lysemose said Leap was chosen because TAKT wanted to find alternatives to leather—a material with significant CO2 impact—with a material that would not “compromise” the aesthetics and […]
In Oman, design firm Nawa Tek has converted leftover date seeds into a material suitable for use as 3D printer filaments. Dubbed RePit—a play on the words repeat and “pit”, as the date seed is often called—the material is made by crushing the pits and mixing them with limestone and clay. The resulting composite is […]
