English scientists have found what they claim is a perfect blend of plastic material that could lead to bone regeneration for older people or those who have significant bone fractures. The research conducted by British scientists resulted in a honeycomb scaffold structure porous enough to allow blood to flow through it. This blood flow enables [...]
Common Plastics in Environment Absorb Contaminants
January 30, 2013 By 2 Comments
A California study shows that the most commonly produced plastics that are littered in the environment are also the ones that absorb the most chemicals, a finding that poses a greater risk for marine animals and those that eat them. The absorption ability of these plastics continued for longer periods of time than previously thought. [...]
FDA Rules on Metal Hip Implants
January 24, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Manufacturers of metal-on-metal hip implants will need to prove that their medical devices are safe and effective before they could continue selling existing models or obtain approvals to sell new all-metal devices, according to a proposed rule from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA’s action is intended to close a loophole in [...]
Plastic Cup Reduces Paper Waste at Landfills
January 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment
A major retailer is offering reusable plastic as a way to reduce paper waste. Starbucks, the large coffee chain, now has reusable plastic cups that customers can purchase along with their grande half-caf, double pump soy latte. Made out of 100% virgin polypropylene (PP), the plastic cups — in 12- and 16-oz sizes (tall and [...]
Ant Study Finds Phthalates Are Pervasive
January 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Phthalates are everywhere. Just ask the insects. Well, you can ask, but you won’t get an answer. Unless you’re a scientist like Alain Lenoir, of the Francois Rabelais University in Tours, France. He has found that phthalates are on the cuticles of ants all over the world. His team has found phthalates on wood crickets [...]
County Bans BPA in Receipts
December 21, 2012 By 1 Comment
If you buy something in Suffolk County, New York, on Long Island, the receipt you get may not have any bisphenol A (BPA) in it because the county has banned the chemical in those items. Research has shown that some thermal paper receipts have up to 2.2% of the weight coming from the chemical, reports [...]
3-D Printer Recycles Plastic
November 29, 2012 By 1 Comment
A team from the University of Washington has won $100,000 in a contest in which it used a large 3-D printer to transform plastic waste into composting toilets and rainwater harvesting systems. The winnings from the international contest, 3D4D Challenge, will be used to form a company that will work with partners in Oaxaca, Mexico, [...]
Polymers Make Sensitive “Skin”
November 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
In the near future, historians may credit Stanford University scientists with developing the first artificial skin with polymers that can sense pressure and heal itself. The material may be ideal for prosthetics. And — who could be certain to say otherwise — a cyborg. Over the past 10 years or so, there have been major [...]
Turning Agricultural Waste Into Stronger Plastics
November 6, 2012 By 1 Comment
Technology developed by researchers at North Dakota State University (NDSU), Fargo, incorporates would-be agricultural waste products into plastics, making them stronger and more resistant to heat and ultraviolet light (UV). The new plastic products can be used anywhere commodity thermoplastics are typically used, says Chad Ulven, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at NDSU, who [...]
Bio-Refinery Makes Plastics From Coffee-Shop Products
September 18, 2012 By 1 Comment
A bio-refinery could turn waste from coffee and baked goods into plastics, laundry detergents, and other everyday consumer products. Chinese scientists have teamed up with the Starbucks restaurant chain on this recycling waste project, prompted by The Climate Group, an international nonprofit organization that promotes a carbon-free future. The parties involved are concerned about the [...]
