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Sequestered CO2 turned into carbon fibre and wastewater treatment chemicals
CategoriesSustainable News

Sequestered CO2 turned into carbon fibre and wastewater treatment chemicals

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Mars Materials is a California-based startup working to commercialise technology developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Using captured carbon dioxide, the process creates acrylonitrile (ACN), which is a building block for carbon fibre. Carbon fibre is used in plastics, rubbers, and chemicals, as well as in steel and aluminum production. 

By reducing the need to create new chemicals, businesses using the material reduce their production emissions while putting captured carbon to extended use. Financially, the material could be a significant cost saver for companies as the Mars Materials team says that using the new method results in lower production costs than current systems. 

Overall, the company plans to put at least a gigatonne (one billion tonnes) of captured carbon into everyday use. When used in carbon fibre applications and as a base material for chemical manufacturing, the sequestered emissions could soon be in products at every corner shop. Having recently closed a pre-seed round of funding that raised $660,000, the company plans to begin producing product samples to test with manufacturers. The organisation’s two founders were also announced as Breakthrough Energy Fellows, recognition that comes with support for accelerating their innovation. 

Captured carbon is being used in an increasingly varied range of applications. Springwise has spotted onboard emissions being used to power ships and alternative proteins fermented with captured carbon.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Modular sewage treatment plant fits inside a trailer
CategoriesSustainable News

Modular sewage treatment plant fits inside a trailer

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: An incredibly densely populated country, India’s struggles to access and maintain clean waterways and sanitation infrastructure is well documented. UNESCO says that lack of sanitation is part of the global water quality challenge and “one of the most significant forms of water pollution.”

Israeli company Huliot has a solution specifically for densely populated communities. A modular sewage treatment plant called ClearBlack can clean water for up to 800 people per day per unit. The plants are available in three sizes, ranging from 25 to 100 cubic metres of water cleaned per day. Based on a compact design centred around a Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR) rather than activated charcoal or sand filters, the mobile treatment plants are quiet to run, do not produce a smell, and are automatically and remotely managed.

The system requires only electricity to run, no additional piping, and costs around 15 cents per day. With almost 100 per cent of the water that is cleaned able to be used again, the system is incredibly efficient and could cut local water costs and volume of use by up to 40 per cent.

As water scarcity continues to grow globally, solutions such as Huliot’s have the potential to significantly improve urban living conditions. Springwise has previously spotted innovations taking inspiration from nature, with apples being used to remove nanoplastics and algae providing a chemical-free cleaning process.  

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Medication-free sleep treatment – Springwise
CategoriesSustainable News

Medication-free sleep treatment – Springwise

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Today, getting enough sleep is considered on a par with eating right and getting enough exercise. The reason for this is that insufficient sleep has been associated with a host of negative outcomes – from poor performance in school and at work, to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a third of US adults report that they usually get less than the recommended amount of sleep – a pattern that is repeated around the world. Enter Moonoa, a new app and programme designed to get everyone sleeping again.

Moonoa bills itself as a “digital, personalised solution to improve your sleep naturally, without the use of medication”. Its approach is based on cognitive behavioural therapy CBT), which aims to work on behaviours, thoughts, and emotions that contribute to poor sleep. The platform’s comprehensive programme includes relaxation content to help reduce stress and anxiety and a ‘learning path’ with CBT-based advice and recommendations to help users “reframe behaviour, unrealistic expectations, and negative thoughts that are harmful to sleep”.

In addition to advice, Moonoa also offers sleep analysis and support from psychologist coaches, as well as a personalised food supplement sent to customers on a monthly basis based on their profile. The company takes a holistic approach to sleep improvement in an effort to help users establish predictable sleep patterns and take back control over their sleep. The programme has been certified as a medical device by both the Spanish Medicines Agency and the European Union.

According to the company, clinical studies indicate that a CBT-led approach to improving sleep leads to improvement in 90 per cent of patients.

Many approaches to sleep improvement have so far focused on the low-hanging fruit of tracking using wearables. Innovations in this space include a wearable ring that wakes wearers up at regular intervals as part of a sleep training regimen, and a smart pillow that monitors sleep by tracking head movements. Moonoa goes further by taking a holistic approach to tackling the underlying causes of bad sleep.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference