Once hailed as a miracle material, plastic has turned into a problem of global proportions. Prized for its plasticity (hence the name), today plastic is used in or wrapped around almost everything. Despite serious environmental problems, that ubiquity makes it impossible to simply quit using plastic. In the search for an environmentally friendly alternative, bioplastics have shown…
Products made from bio-based plastics must undergo the same testing procedures as conventional plastic products to access the market of the European Union (EU). Thereby a health risk for consumers is excluded. Plastics intended to be certified as biodegradable or compostable must undergo additional tests. “Products made of bioplastics thus pass even more tests than conventional…
German polymer manufacturer Covestro will introduce a new, more sustainable line of 3D printing materials at the upcoming Formnext Connect virtual trade show. Covestro is set to add a new line of filaments that address the circular economy to its Addigy® range, which are either partially made from recycled plastics, or which are made with up to 20 percent CO2. The…
HANNAH utilizes salvaged materials, 3D printing, and robotic technology to create an otherworldly cabin in upstate New York. Leslie Lok and Sasa Zivkovic combined 3D printing, robotic fabrication technology, and wood infested with emerald ash borer beetles to create an off-grid tiny home named the Ashen Cabin. The pair are assistant professors of architecture at Cornell…
Every year, the European Union produces around 110 million tonnes of food waste in terms of animal and vegetable matter. Some of that waste, in the form of almond shells, is already being used as a biofuel. But could these shells also be used to produce state-of-the-art innovations in the construction or car industries? This is…
We’ve seen 3D printed shoes made from recycled materials before, but not a true pair of running shoes yet. But New Zealand design engineer Rik Olthuis is working to change that. The 22-year-old Massey University graduate has long had a passion for designing shoes, and designed a pair of completely biodegradable athletic shoes in 2019, during…
The construction industry is one of the world’s largest emitters of carbon dioxide. Whether it can reduce those emissions depends on replacing its most common building material. Concrete ranks as the most popular construction material in the world. But its key ingredient, cement, is responsible for 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions each year. Scientists want…
For quite a while now, scientists have been developing technologies that explore both the moon and mars. from 3D-printed mars habitats to lunar toilets, news regarding space travel advancements have flooded our streams, having specialist trying to figure out if our species would be able to live and survive in another planet or on our own satellite.…
3D printer manufacturer Stratasys is working with fashion designers through the European Union funded Re-FREAM project to make the production of fashion more sustainable. The company's PolyJet 3D printing technology played an integral role in designer Julia Koerner's new ARID collection which focuses on material efficiency and sustainability. The ARID collection, which does not involve any…
Sustainability and closed-loop manufacturing are becoming an increasingly important topic for Earth-based manufacturing, but a new study has shown that these same principles can be lifted to model extraterrestrial travel as well. Using a ubiquitous, organic polymer called chitin, found in everything from fungi fibers to shellfish shells, a team of researchers from Singapore has devised…