Every day, news feeds are more and more filled with negativity about the coming apocalypse, which a person is likely to arrange for himself, destroying the planet. Hi-Tech Mail.ru invites you to be optimistic about new technologies that can help us live better…
Reusable Oil Collection Sponge
More recently, this sponge has excited the public and world news feeds. And now the videos with examples of its use are truly fascinating. Is the problem of pollution of the world’s oceans finally solved? We understand the technology of a miracle sponge. It works like this:
American scientists have presented a unique material resembling a sponge, which can absorb oil weighing up to 90 times its own. The invention is a polyurethane or polyamide foam coated with oil-absorbing silage molecules.
Tests of the miracle sponge in giant pools have shown that it perfectly collects spilled diesel fuel and crude oil from the surface of the water. The results of the work are described in detail in an article published in the scientific journal Journal of Materials Chemistry A.
Bottles turn… into sand
It’s hard to believe, but sandy beaches are on the verge of extinction. The reason for this was the recently rapidly increasing demand for sand from many industries. Another miracle device can save the situation – a new invention by DB Export is able to “make” sand from the usual glass bottles, which, in turn, are also a sore subject for environmentalists.
How does it work? It’s simple: the bottles turn into sand as a result of the work of small metal hammers that rotate at great speed inside the apparatus. By the way, the machine itself was called quite artlessly – Beer Bottle Sand Machine. From one bottle, this unit is able to produce 200 grams of “sand”.
It should be noted that the device even provides for the removal of the label. This is due to a special vacuum device. Machines can be installed anywhere, for example, near beer bars – the manufacturer has such plans. The technology is designed to save us from a huge number of empty bottles, and beaches from extinction. As a result of using such sand in the construction of buildings and roads, it will eventually find its way back into the ecosystem.
Plastic recycling plant in every home
Plastic is a global problem that scientists have been fighting for a long time, developing various technologies for recycling and disposal. It has already been figured out how to make fuel and synthetic fiber out of plastic. But all this requires large and expensive equipment, and often the newly developed technology itself is harmful to the environment. Therefore, despite all the developments, those very bottles that decompose for 300 years are still found everywhere in frightening quantities.
But the startup Precious Plastic offers an unusual solution: a mini-factory accessible to everyone. The main raw material is shredded plastic:
At the same time, the uniqueness of the project is that you are not offered to buy equipment: project participants provide drawings and assembly instructions to everyone. Then it’s up to you to decide whether to turn plastic into a hobby or open a small business producing almost anything that comes to mind.
Thanks to such devices, it is possible to obtain plastic for the increasingly popular 3D printers.
Edible beer packaging
We have already written about the biodegradable packaging of the Saltwater Brewery. Unlike Russia, this ring-shaped beer package is the most popular in the United States. It was there that they developed packaging that will not pollute our planet, but rather benefit its inhabitants. How? It’s simple: the packaging is edible.
It is made from beer by-products, specifically pressed dried malt. These rings are like hard cardboard and do a good job of allowing the customer to carry a pack of beer from the store to the fridge. Looking forward to learning how to make edible beer cans.
Reservoirs will clean … rice?
But what about in Russia? Domestic science does not lag behind in developments aimed at ensuring environmental stability. At the beginning of the year, scientists from the Far Eastern Federal University presented an innovative water purification technology using a rice straw sorbent.
Their sources are domestic effluents and waste from industrial enterprises. The new technology makes it possible to remove sulfides from water with high efficiency (up to 91%) and can be used for purification and post-treatment of waste and natural waters.