Features
China’s bio-based future
In 2021, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) unveiled a new method for making animal feed from CO and nitrogen with Beijing Shoulang Biotechnology Co., Ltd. From 2021, the team partnered with a steelmaker to convert the plant’s tail…
Algae bioplastics: the global state of the industry
Algae began attracting attention as a biofuel in the 1970s. While the sector grew rapidly in the 2000s, its gains were largely wiped out by the 2008 financial crash. Since then, investors have turned to other high-value chemical derivatives. Among…
Microsoft builds circular data centres of the future
A small cluster of digital technology companies dominate the global information economy. Apple’s $2.6 trillion market value approaches the GDP of India. Samsung Electronics and Alphabet made $200.734 and $182.5 billion in revenue respectively. These impressive financials have a carbon…
How fashion can phase out the big two petrochemical fabrics
If the clothing sector were a country, it would have the seventh-largest economy in the world. It has the climate impacts of a major economic power too, contributing 2-4 percent of global carbon emissions, figures comparable to Germany or Russia’s…
How AI is creating novel biomaterials
DAN*NA, a Barcelona-based green bio-engineering company, has been attracting international recognition for its high-tech biomaterials. Its flagship product is a bio-PLA that is more flexible than market competitors while retaining transparency. It has also patented a new bio-based materials for…
Bio-based superabsorbents on the sanitary products market
Superabsorbent polymers (SAPS) are the working components inside diapers and sanitary towels. These heavy-duty chemicals absorb and retain bodily fluids like blood and urine up to hundreds of times their original weight. SAPs revolutionised personal care when they hit the…