Category: Chemicals & Materials

Novozymes, FMC sign biocontrol deal

Novozymes, FMC sign biocontrol deal

February 1, 2021 |

In Denmark, enzymes leader Novozymes and leading pesticides firm FMC have announced a partnership in the biocontrol segment. Under the terms of the deal, the two companies have agreed to codevelop and commercialize biological enzyme-based crop protection solutions focusing on FMC’s diamide insecticide technology, as well as a biocontrol solution for Asian Soybean Rust (ASR), […]

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Latest architecture and design trends take waste not, want not approach

Latest architecture and design trends take waste not, want not approach

February 1, 2021 |

Architecture is undergoing a “biowaste revolution,” according to Architect, an online publication affiliated with the Journal of the American Institute of Architects. The piece detailed a number of new raw materials innovation.  One architect profiled, Ayse Yilmaz, began making new materials out of tangerine peels when she was just 20, and eventually would add discarded […]

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Absolut Biobased: Paper vodka bottles hit shelves in select markets

Absolut Biobased: Paper vodka bottles hit shelves in select markets

January 25, 2021 |

In the United Kingdom and Sweden, the first rollout of paper bottles from the iconic vodka brand Absolut have hit liquor store shelves.  The bottles are actually made from a mix of paper and recycled plastic and are the first step toward a fully biobased spirits bottle, says Pernod Ricard, the French owner of the […]

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MIT grows wood in a petri dish

MIT grows wood in a petri dish

January 25, 2021 |

In Boston, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have grown plant tissue, including wood and fibers, in a lab, paving the way for a new method of growing food and materials with less land and inputs.   “If you want a table, then you should just grow a table,” Luis Fernando Velásquez-García, a principal scientist […]

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Microbial stamp could help track E. coli outbreaks

Microbial stamp could help track E. coli outbreaks

January 25, 2021 |

In New York, start-up Aanika Biosciences is developing biological tags that can help authorities pinpoint the source of deadline E. coli outbreaks.  The company’s technology tweaks the genome of inactivated microbe, essentially creating a unique identifier that is then added to each head of lettuce to enable tracking.  The Centers for Disease Control often struggles […]

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UConn team creates polylactic acid face mask

UConn team creates polylactic acid face mask

January 25, 2021 |

In Connecticut, researchers have invented a reusable and biodegradable face mask made from polylactic acid. Thinh Le, mechanical engineering PhD student at University of Connecticut, tells Daily Campus the masks are made of poly-L lactic acid, “an FDA-approved material [used] in medical applications, which is completely safe and biodegradable.”  Most masks are made from polypropylene […]

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Indian researchers develop bioplastic film using red algae

Indian researchers develop bioplastic film using red algae

January 25, 2021 |

In India, the National Institute of Ocean Technology has converted seaweed into biodegradable plastic film.  Using red algae Kappaphycus alvarezii cultivated from the Gulf of Mannar and plasticizer polyethylene glycol (PEG)-3000, the team was able to create films with high tensile strength. The films also have good oxygen and moisture permeability properties for use as […]

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Amyris acquires CBD beauty brand

Amyris acquires CBD beauty brand

January 25, 2021 |

In California, synthetic biology company Amyris has acquired cannabinoids-based beauty brand Terasana for an undisclosed sum.  John Melo, president and CEO of Amyris said in a press statement that the company is “very optimistic” about the future of clean cannabinoids and the efficacy they bring to the skincare market.  The company recently commercialized cannabigerol, a […]

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Stacking sheets of cells yields better cultivated meat, Canadian research shows

Stacking sheets of cells yields better cultivated meat, Canadian research shows

January 25, 2021 |

In Canada, researchers at McMaster University have produced cultivated meat they claim has flavor and texture more like conventional, animal-based products.  The process creates sheets of living cells that can be stacked, similar to methods used to grow tissue for human transplants, say Ravi Selvaganapathy and Alireza Shahin-Shamsabadi. The way they are stacked can enable […]

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Spain looks to evaluate health impacts of cultured meat

Spain looks to evaluate health impacts of cultured meat

January 25, 2021 |

In Spain, BioTech Foods has been awarded a €5.2 million (US $6.3 million) government grant to evaluate if cultured meat has any of the negative health effects of animal meat such as cholesterol and cancer risks.  BioTech Foods, itself a cultured meat company, is developing its Ethicameat brand covering multiple species. Early prototypes include meatballs […]

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