The Three Weirdest Botanical Techno-inspirations this Summer
1. Substituting pollen for graphite in lithium batteries
Pollution from graphite mines is a serious environmental problem in China. Now three scientists have demonstrated that pollen from the cat-tail plant could offer an alternative source of carbon for the anode.
2. Spruce cones as CO2 scrubbers
Trapping CO2 emissions at their source - whether car exhausts or factory chimneys - could play a role in fighting climate change. A team of British scientists set out to create a low-cost and abundant carbon sorbent from renewable materials. By burning and grinding up cones from spruce trees, they produced a plant-based material able to absorb up to 21% of its weight in CO2.
3. Peanut shells to degrade air pollutants
In the right hands, there's no such thing as waste. Our love of peanut butter and peanut snacks mean that there's a growing pile of surplus peanut shells in Mexico. But microbes on the shells utilise methanol and other air-borne solvent products of industrial processes for their own growth. A Mexican researcher has taken crushed shells and has created a prototype biofilter for factories.
Find out more about all of these at the AoB blog
