“Coca-Cola is to test a paper bottle as part of a longer-term bid to eliminate plastic from its packaging entirely,” reports the BBC: The prototype is made by a Danish company from an extra-strong paper shell that still contains a thin plastic liner. But the goal is to create a 100% recyclable, plastic-free bottle capable of preventing gas escaping from carbonated…
Tag: fibres
Scientists Develop Transparent Wood That Is Stronger, Lighter Than Glass
Researchers at the University of Maryland have turned ordinary sheets of wood into transparent material that is nearly as clear as glass, but stronger and with better insulating properties. It could become an energy efficient building material in the future. CBC.ca reports: Wood is made of two basic ingredients: cellulose, which are tiny fibres, and lignin, which bonds those fibres together…
Microplastic fibres affect plants by impacting soil as much as drought
Polyester microfibres are similar in shape to small plant roots, and they may have a detrimental impact on soil properties that is similar to the effects of drought Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2265877-microplastic-fibres-affect-plants-by-impacting-soil-as-much-as-drought/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Seagrass ‘Neptune Balls’ Sieve Millions of Plastic Particles From Water, Study Finds
Underwater seagrass in coastal areas appear to trap plastic pollution in natural bundles of fiber known as “Neptune balls,” researchers have found. The Guardian reports: With no help from humans, the swaying plants — anchored to shallow seabeds — may collect nearly 900 million plastic items in the Mediterranean alone every year, a study reported in the journal Scientific Reports said….
Microplastics found across the Arctic may be fibres from laundry
Polyester fibres, probably from textile manufacturing and laundry, make up the majority of microplastic pollution in the Arctic Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2264585-microplastics-found-across-the-arctic-may-be-fibres-from-laundry/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
This touch-sensitive glove is made from stretchy optical fibres
A touch-sensitive glove made from stretchable fibre-optic sensors could be used in robotics, sport and medicine Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2259805-this-touch-sensitive-glove-is-made-from-stretchy-optical-fibres/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Secure quantum communications network is the largest of its kind
A quantum communications network running on optical fibres in Bristol, UK, is the largest of its kind with eight users, but its creators say it could handle more than 100 people in future Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2253448-secure-quantum-communications-network-is-the-largest-of-its-kind/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Blue jeans pollute water by releasing 50,000 microfibres per wash
Around 50,000 microfibres are lost from a pair of jeans in a single wash, and these fibres have been found in large quantities in water across Canada, even in the Arctic Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2253421-blue-jeans-pollute-water-by-releasing-50000-microfibres-per-wash/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Ordinary bricks laced with conductive fibres can store energy
Regular bricks can be turned into energy storage devices through a process that uses their red pigment to create a network of conductive fibres inside the bricks Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2251449-ordinary-bricks-laced-with-conductive-fibres-can-store-energy/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Fabric repels both oil and water thanks to clever silicone coating
By studying a fabric’s weave, it’s possible to design an environmentally friendly silicone coating for the individual fibres that makes the material oil and water-repellent Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2251388-fabric-repels-both-oil-and-water-thanks-to-clever-silicone-coating/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…