Waste

Scientists at Australia’s RMIT have developed a tiny sponge with big potential, and say the micron-sized material can be used to convert discarded cooking oil into biodiesel in a very cost-effective manner. And this catalyst is no one-trick pony.

Two of the problems with traditional plastics are the facts that they're made from non-renewable petroleum, and they stick around for centuries once discarded. A new alternative, however, is made from existing waste, and should biodegrade in a year.

Scientists in Australia have developed a new cement-free solution they say is better equipped to handle the corrosive nature of sewerage systems, while also helping avoid the buildup of troublesome and costly fatbergs.

Scientists at Norway's SINTEF have developed a way to turn as much of a salmon as possible into useful products, including food supplements and fire retardants. By using new low-temperature processes, the goal is to use every last gram of the fish.

Scientists have developed a new method to detect trace amounts of plastic in edible tissues, and tried it out on a range of seafood such as oysters, prawns, squid, crabs and sardines to find plastic particles in all samples tested.

The start/stop nature of trash collection makes electric powertrains a good choice for refuse trucks, and Phoenix-based Republic Services has just ordered 2,500 battery-electric waste trucks from Nikola.

A new breakthrough could overcome some of the problems around recycling cotton clothing, with scientists demonstrating a new technique that converts cotton into a yarn suitable for the mass manufacture of textiles

Sargassum seaweed is growing out of control in many regions – it washes up on beaches in huge amounts. Utilizing a new technique, that rotting organic matter could soon be converted into biofuels and other products.

Found in crustacean shells, chitin is a useful natural polymer. Now, scientists have developed a fruit waste-based fermentation process for getting it out of those shells – and the technique results in better-quality chitin, to boot.

It was just a couple of years ago that we heard how scientists had used soybean waste to produce a healthy (and supposedly tasty) probiotic drink. Now, they've done the same thing with unsold bread that would otherwise be discarded.

We've been hearing more and more about biodegradable plastics, made from cellulose nanofibers. Although those fibers are typically harvested from wood waste, new research shows that they could also be obtained from mega-plentiful used coffee grounds.

Steel slag is currently utilized both to treat wastewater, and as a concrete aggregate. New research now indicates that using it for the former makes it perform even better as the latter – so the same slag could be used twice.