NEWS POST: Turning Waste Into Bioplastics, Mexico Strikes Green Gold

Waste from processing food crops are transformed into products such as bags, plates and even car parts. CNN Video

Tequila, avocado and corn are proving their worth beyond Mexican fiesta staples as key components for a fast-growing bioplastics market, with companies transforming waste from processing food crops into products such as bags, plates and even car parts.

Bioplastics make up less than 5% of the millions of tonnes of plastic produced each year around the world. But as governments and consumers fret about the damage plastic is doing to the world's oceans, scientists are experimenting by converting materials from cactus to shrimp shells and human waste into alternative greener plastics.

"The whole world is changing - people are starting to ask for this," said Scott Munguia, founder of Mexican company BIOFASE. The main obstacle is the cost of producing bioplastics, he noted.

Based in Michoacan state at the centre of Mexico's avocado industry, the world's largest, BIOFASE uses tonnes of stones a day discarded by processors of the fruit to produce its drinking straws and cutlery.

Industry experts say bioplastics - which are made with renewable, organic materials - have twin benefits: making use of waste to create products that are potentially quicker and easier to dispose of than traditional fossil fuel-based plastics. But not all bioplastics are as environmentally friendly as they sound, say scientists and industry insiders. Some contain high levels of traditional plastic, and depending on their uses and components, may not be biodegradable or compostable, making disposal a challenge.

Plastic production is expected to double over the next 20 years, compounding worries over the 8 million to 15 million tonnes of plastic the United Nations says are already being dumped into the ocean each year.

As plastic pollution in both the sea and freshwater grabs the media spotlight, bioplastics are attracting a high level of attention, said David Grewell, director of the Iowa-based Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites.

But they cannot solve the problem, he added.

"We would not want to start advocating that it's OK to throw bioplastics into the water," said Grewell, department chair at North Dakota State University.

Cost Competition

In Mexico, moves by some states to outlaw the use of plastic bags and polystyrene could help boost demand for bioplastics, said Carlos Camacho Vivar, founder of Ecoshell.

But authorities need to understand the difference between products, he added.

Started as a university project, Ecoshell now exports its cutlery, bags and containers that are either biodegradable, compostable or "bio-based" (part-organic, part-plastic), as well as selling them in Mexican supermarkets.

As plastic pollution in both the sea and freshwater grabs the media spotlight, bioplastics are attracting a high level of attention Image source: Reuters

Sugar cane and corn starch derived from industrial waste are among the ingredients for Ecoshell's products, which Camacho says will break down in months rather than the hundreds of years needed for traditional plastic.

Instead of worrying about losing market share and jobs, traditional plastic producers in Mexico should start making bioplastics to satisfy changing consumer demands, he said.

"It's like the story of Blockbuster with Netflix," said Camacho, referring to the video rentals chain that went bust in the face of higher-tech competition. "New technology is always expensive and through time it needs to go down to compete."

Driving Development

While startups push ahead with cutting-edge technologies, corporate giants like Coca-Cola Co are fine-tuning their own initiatives, including biodegradable PET bottles.

Vehicle manufacturer Ford Motor Co is testing bio-based plastics made with 20% agave fibre - waste from the plants used to make tequila - to create non-biodegradable parts it says would make its cars lighter and improve fuel economy.

"You're not growing this fibre specifically for automobile parts - you're growing it for the lovely tequila, so this is a waste product," said Deborah Mielewski, Ford Research's senior technical leader for materials sustainability. "We're looking at a big variety of natural materials or even waste from agriculture (and) the food industry ... to reduce our impact, but also to participate in a more closed-loop economy."

Founder Henry Ford pioneered the use of materials such as soybean in car parts, she explained. Now the company uses soy-based foam for seats, and is looking at putting bamboo, hemp, oat hulls and rubber derived from dandelions in its plastics.

But not all technologies may be palatable to consumers.

Human Waste

Some scientists are looking to convert bacteria from food and also human waste into the key chemical components that could be used to create biodegradable plastics and other products.

Kartik Chandran, professor of environmental engineering at Columbia University, said the potential for using organisms from organic waste was "close to infinite", and could help solve practical problems around sanitation and water.

Producing bioplastics from sewage could offset some of the costs of waste treatment and sanitation, for example.

"We're not considering bioplastic production in isolation, we're not considering waste management in isolation - we're linking that," he said.

Yet while the technology advances, major hurdles remain, including how to make bioplastics affordable while weaning consumers and companies off their addiction to cheap plastic. Government bans on single-use plastics, lower-priced alternatives and education about the impact of conventional plastic manufacturing could help, industry experts said.

Lego's newest elements are made from sugarcane-based, rather than oil-based, plastic. They'll still hurt when you step on them though. Photograph: LEGO

Ford's Mielewski said resistance to change was the biggest barrier.

"Everybody wants to have a cleaner planet, everybody wants to have cleaner air (and) reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean," she said. "But getting people to change what they're doing today is really hard."

Originally published on REUTERS/DAILY MAIL WIRES

NEWS POST: Lesotho Emerges As Unlikely Testbed For 5G Revolution

The Lesotho 5G network is the first in Africa

The mountainous kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa has become an unexpected test venue for high-speed 5G mobile technology that is set to revolutionize global communication, transport and entertainment.

Two companies in the country's tiny capital Maseru are now using one of the world's first commercial 5G networks on the long-awaited 3.5 GHz spectrum. The network in Lesotho, set up by local Vodafone affiliate Vodacom, delivers speeds of up to 700 megabits per second, allowing movies to be downloaded in seconds and could in future provide safe technology for driverless cars.

"It is a bit of a testbed for us," Andries Delport, Vodacom's chief technology officer, told AFP on Friday after the service was launched. "With 5G, there is a lot of hype based on future use. It is transformative... it allows us to start talking about driverless cars, and robots and machines in factories. I can tell you, the Lesotho people are super-proud of this."

Just 530 employees at the head offices of the Central Bank of Lesotho and the Letseng Diamond Mining Company in Maseru currently enjoy the 5G speeds, but Vodacom plans to extend the scheme. The Lesotho network, which is the first in Africa, could mean that customers on the continent could avoid the need for expensive fibre cabling, instead "leap-frogging" to the new higher speeds. Other commercial networks have been set up in Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the race to bring 5G, meaning "Fifth Generation", to customers.

Lesotho, which is entirely surrounded by South Africa, has a population of just 2.2 million. It is known as the "Kingdom in the Sky" as it largely consists of rugged mountains with some villages accessible only by foot or pony.

Vodacom said it chose Lesotho because the government offered the 3.5 GHz spectrum that has not yet been alloted in South Africa and many other countries.

Originally published on DAILY MAIL WIRES/AFP

NEWS POST: A Biodegradable Battery Fuelled By Bacteria Has Been Developed By Scientists

A biodegradable battery fuelled by bacteria has been developed by scientists. Microbes known as 'exoelectrogens' (shown in red in inset) power the device (main image shows artist impression) by transferring electrons outside of their cells to external electrodes

The device, which is activated using saliva and made by printing thin layers of metals on to a paper surface, is capable of powering a calculator or small light source. Scientists claim the technology could fuel disposable HIV tests, glucose sensors and other medical devices in poor countries where electrical sources are sparse.

It could also help cut electronic waste because it decomposes naturally, they said.

Researchers at the State University of New York, Binghamton, made the batteries using 'exoelectrogens' - bacteria that can transfer electrons outside of their cells. These microbes were freeze-dried and placed on a paper surface, which was then layered with strips of metals and other materials. To activate the battery, researchers added saliva or water, which awoke the bacteria from their dormant state. Electrons generated naturally by the microbes passed through their cell membrane and made contact with the battery's electrodes.

This allowed the scientists to create a small electrical circuit that generates enough charge to power small, portable devices while producing little electrical waste.

'There's been a dramatic increase in electronic waste and this may be an excellent way to start reducing that,' study coauthor Dr Seokheun Choi said.

A prototype created by the team is capable of powering a calculator or a light-emitting diode - a small semiconductor light source. The structures are lightweight, low-cost and flexible, and can be used once and then thrown away, with a shelf life of around four months. Researchers said the technology could one day power medical equipment in poorer countries.

●New battery is made by printing thin layers of metals on to a paper surface ●It is activated using saliva and can power a calculator or small light source ●Scientists created the device using specialized bacteria called 'exoelectrogens' ●They can transfer electrons outside of their cells to the battery's electrode

In remote areas of the world, everyday items like electrical outlets and batteries are luxuries, and health care workers often lack electricity to power diagnostic devices, while commercial batteries may be too expensive.

The prototype exhibited a much higher power-to-cost ratio than all previously reported paper-based microbial batteries, according to Dr Choi. His team investigated how oxygen affected the technology's performance.

The device (pictured) is activated using saliva and made by printing thin layers of metals on to a paper surface, and is capable of powering a calculator or small light source

In other batteries, the gas has reduced the movement of charge by absorbing electrons produced by bacteria before they reach the electrode. But the new device was only slightly impeded by oxygen because the bacteria are tightly attached to its paper fibres, meaning electrons are shifted to the anode before they can be absorbed by oxygen.

Dr Choi is now working on a way to improve the survival and shelf-life of the freeze dried bacteria. He said newer versions of the power source could be stacked and connected to boost power generation. 

The findings were presented at the National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

Originally published on DAILY MAIL SCIENCE & TECH