Scientists made fabrics from discarded bags and aviation fuel from food

Make use of discarded and used food plastic bags decided scientists from the US.

At a time when climate change requires a reduction in carbon emissions and the cyclical economy of recycling materials to reduce waste of resources is emerging as one of the central environmental challenges of our time, researchers are constantly coming up with innovative solutions in both. Thus, two independent scientific teams from America presented on the one hand a new method of producing aviation fuel from food waste and on the other a new technique of creating clothes from discarded plastic bags.

In the first case, researchers led by Derek Wardon of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, who made the publication in the journal of the US National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), according to the BBC, they found a way to convert junk food and animal manure into a type of paraffin that can be used in aircraft engines.

They estimate that the new fuel could reduce “greenhouse gas” emissions by 165% compared to fossil fuels. According to the Athens News Agency, this big reduction comes from both the reduction of carbon emissions from airplanes and the smaller carbon emissions when dumping food in landfills. Also, the new fuel produces 34% less soot.

To date, in terms of circular economy, most of the discarded food used for energy production is converted to methane gas. The aviation industry consumes a lot of fuel worldwide and correspondingly high emissions into the atmosphere that are responsible for climate change. As the prospect of electric propulsion in long-haul aircraft is still far away (unlike vehicles), companies are constantly trying to make aircraft greener, using new fuel-saving technologies or using newer environmentally friendly ones, such as biofuels.

The researchers plan to make mass production of the new biofuel and test it on flights of the American company Southwest Airlines in 2023.

High fashion from humble garbage

In the second case, researchers at MIT, led by Dr. Svetlana Boriskina, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, developed a new method that allows the manufacture of polyethylene fabrics, the most widely used plastic in bags worldwide. .a.

The aim – as with the aviation industry – is to make the textile and clothing industries more sustainable for the environment and to reduce the widespread pollution from plastics. The fashion industry is one of the most polluting in the world, consuming huge amounts of water and generating millions of tons of waste, while producing 5% to 10% of global “greenhouse gas” emissions.. Washing and drying clothes afterwards requires even more energy and water consumption than producing them.

Researchers hope that new “plastics” fabrics will be used in sportswear and high fashion or even in space suits. These new fabrics are considered more environmentally friendly than natural fibers and can be recycled.

“There is no reason why a simple plastic bag cannot be made of fiber and not be used as a high quality garment. “You can literally turn plastic garbage into high-performance clothes, which will be comfortable and you can also recycle it many times into a new garment,” Boriskina said.

The new “green” fabric is made of polyethylene fibers, which are designed to – unlike conventional polyethylene – allow water to escape and thus prevent moisture. According to the researchers, the new material is less harmful to the environment than wool, cotton, linen, silk, nylon and polyester. Also, it can be washed more easily only with cold water, further reducing its environmental footprint, while it can also be painted in different colors before it becomes a fabric. Because it is made of only one material (polyethylene), it is possible to recycle it again and again.

The question is whether such a “plastic” fabric will appeal to consumers and whether they will feel comfortable wearing it.