Recycling

That old phone gathering dust in a drawer could have a second life far more entertaining than being a paperweight. UCLA researchers have created PhoneBot, a little humanoid that puts your smartphone to work as the brains of a tiny robot companion.

For centuries, humans have obtained fuel from the remains of organisms that lived millions of years ago, seawater, decaying biomass and now, from cow's milk ... or more accurately, salty whey, a by-product produced during the manufacture of cheese.

Human and mechanical error during design and printing leads to financially and ecologically expensive waste of 3D printing material. Yokohama University’s new method uses photodimerization to create meltable, reprintable tar-based resin.

You know how rejuvenating a bath feels after a day of work? Almost like you're renewed. Turns out that's not exclusive to humans. Scientists have developed an electrochemical bath that restores spent lithium-ion batteries to nearly 100% capacity.

Modern running shoes rely on combinations of materials for energy efficiency, but this makes them almost impossible to recycle. Researchers at the Fraunhofer group are working on a single-material design that could make full recycling possible.

Around the world, over two billion daily cups of coffee are consumed. That means there are a staggering amount of coffee grounds getting tossed away every day. Researchers now have a plan to turn all that waste into eco-friendly insulation.

In the packaging war between paper and plastic, plastic has remained indispensable in one vital aspect: sealing. Until now, reliable paper seals have required adhesives or plastic layers. Scientists may have found a way to eliminate both.

A new method “recharges” battery waste material to release lithium. It eliminates the need for harsh chemicals and energy-intensive smelting, offering a valuable path for green energy transition.

An experimental robotic gripper from Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) utilizes a pair of lobster tails as twin fingers. Because it uses actual animal tissue, this “hand” isn’t bio-mimicked. It’s bio-derived.

While lithium extraction technologies generally focus on ways to get the essential metal out of the ground, there's another source to mine: existing batteries that no longer work. A new technique could now make that process economically viable.

A more sustainable electrolyte made from a class of molecules as strong as stable as the Kevlar that goes into bulletproof vests could soon make it easier than ever to recycle EV batteries – and a whole lot more eco-friendly too.

Researchers at the University of Portsmouth in the UK have developed a way to use powdered discarded glass in building blocks for construction, which could make this versatile material a lot more sustainable.