The dairy industry annually produces large volumes of whey permeate – a residual flow that has little economic value. While the protein-rich part of whey finds its way into food or animal feed, the sugar-rich and mineral part often remains as a low-value waste product. Yet this liquid holds surprising potential for the biobased industry. It…
In a recent paper in Scientific Reports, researchers present a method to develop a bio-based material that has similar properties to conventional leather. The basis of this material is fungal biomass, grown on bread waste. The study contributes to the search for more sustainable and circular alternatives to animal and synthetic leather. The research team used surplus…
The fashion industry is known for its significant ecological footprint. To reduce this impact, an interdisciplinary team from the University of Groningen is focusing on an innovative alternative: clothing made from mycelium, the root network of fungi. Thanks to a jubilee grant of €100.000 from the Gratama Foundation, they can continue this promising research. A collaboration between science and…
Materiom, an organization that uses data and AI to support scientists, manufacturers and designers in the development of bio-based materials, has announced the launch of Materiom AI: an innovative chatbot that helps users discover biopolymers, ingredients and additives for sustainable materials development. The chatbot, powered by Google’s Gemini technology, is designed to simplify the…
New scientific research shows how plant residues can contribute to sustainable energy and raw materials On April 3, 2025, a groundbreaking study on agricultural waste, conducted by researchers Mihai Brebu, Daniela Ioniță, and Elena Stoleru, was published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports. The article, titled “Thermal behavior and conversion of agriculture biomass residues by torrefaction and…
Wood, flax, elephant grass and other plant-based raw materials are gaining ground in construction. And not without reason: biobased building materials can play an important role in the fight against climate change. But how sustainable are these materials really? And how do they compare to traditional building materials such as concrete and plastic? These questions were central to a recent study by…
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed an innovative method to capture drinkable water from the air using everyday biomass, such as food scraps, branches and shells. These “molecularly functional biomass hydrogels” can convert a variety of natural materials into sorbents that absorb moisture from the air. By combining these sorbents with mild…
An interdisciplinary team of scientists from King's College London and Swansea University, in collaboration with researchers in Chile, are working to develop a new type of self-healing asphalt that can repair its own cracks without the need for maintenance or human intervention. This innovative asphalt, which uses biomass waste, could extend the life of roads…
Building materials can play a crucial role in the fight against climate change. A study published on Science.org found that completely replacing traditional building materials with carbon-storing materials could sequester up to 16,6 billion tons of CO2 annually. This is equivalent to about half of global CO2 emissions in 2021. This approach offers an opportunity to…
An international team of scientists, including researchers from Wageningen University & Research (WUR), is working on a project to extract nickel from the ground using plants. This research, which is funded by a grant of 1,35 million euros from the American Department of Energy, promises to offer an environmentally friendly alternative to the…
