Biodegradable

It's ironic that even though many people are starving, a great deal of food gets discarded because it spoils before it can be eaten. A new natural-source packaging material could help, by making foods last longer – plus it's biodegradable.

As 3D-printed electrical circuits become more widely produced, the problem of electronic waste could correspondingly get worse. That's why Swiss scientists have developed a new natural-source "e-ink" that biodegrades once discarded.

Although there are now biodegradable single-use electronic devices such as environmental sensors, the batteries in those devices can still pose an ecological problem. That's why scientists have now created a fully biodegradable paper-based battery.

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam is a problematic material, in that it's cheap and lightweight but also non-biodegradable and difficult to recycle. German scientists have developed a possible alternative, though – foam made out of popcorn.

Scientists at Finland's VTT Technical Research Centre have been developing an alternative leather made from fungi, and have now demonstrated a way to produce continuous sheets of the stuff at commercial scales.

As technology continues to evolve, we're going to see an increasing number of battery-powered connected devices – some of which will be single-use, like shipping packaging. A new biodegradable mini-capacitor has been created with such uses in mind.

Most plastics don’t break down easily – and when they do, they create problematic microplastic particles. A new type of compostable plastic is embedded with enzymes that, when triggered, quickly break the material down to its constituent molecules.

Last year, we heard how scientists had created eco-friendly soft gel particles from hard grains of pollen. Now, they've used those particles to create sponges that could soak up oil spills, then biodegrade once used up.

Like most other commonly used types of plastic, polyurethane is typically made from non-renewable crude oil, and it takes centuries to break down when discarded. Now, however, scientists have created a biodegradable polyurethane-like polymer using fish waste.

Although not a huge seller everywhere, durian fruit is consumed in great quantities in countries like Singapore. Scientists there have now developed a method of using its husks to create cheap, eco-friendly, antibacterial hydrogel bandages.

For patients with an injured or compromised trachea, the insertion of a stent is often required in order to keep their airway open. A new type of airway stent should remain in place better than others, and will biodegrade when no longer needed.

E-waste is a growing problem, so if an electronic component can't be reused or recycled, it should at least be biodegradable. That's where an experimental new electronic display comes in, as it can be composted when no longer needed.