This Italian region now has Europe’s highest Tibetan bridge
It’s not for the faint-hearted
Another solution that points to food being both a source of nutrition and packaging
The race to create a new model of packaging is clearly on. Recently, we reported on research led by the University of Siena (Italy), which sees the way to biodegradable plastics as one that passes through shrimp shells.
It turns out that other scientists, this time working at the Institute of Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture ‘La Mayora’ (IHSM) in Malaga (Spain), are working towards a similar goal. They, however, see the solution in tomato skins.
In this project, the waste resulting from the industrial processing of tomato fruits will be used as a bio-renewable resource of unsaturated and polyhydroxylated fatty acids. These acids will then be used to manufacture biodegradable and innocuous bio-based lacquers using ecological technologies and industrial scalability for food packaging.
In other words, all these tomatoes going into the production of salsas and ketchup will really get used to their last fibre. The skins, which are the resulting by-product from food production is organic and degradable, but the research team still wondered why it should go to waste in the first place.
Reportedly, the bioplastic created from the tomato skins would decompose in about a month in the sea, thus showing it can be both fairly durable and non-taxing for the environment. For comparison, petroleum-derived plastics take about 450 years to degrade in the environment.
The application of the new bioplastic, however, might still need some time to take off on a widespread commercial base, as it needs to become cheap and easy to produce and create the necessary equipment for that.
The tomato itself is quite the star at the IHSM. It is the focus subject in many of the ongoing, and possibly revolutionary research projects taking place at the Institute. Among them are projects that seek to understand the molecules that signal the right ripening moment of the fruit or another that wants to create varieties more resistant to climate change by tapping into the plant’s genetic makeup.
We shouldn’t be surprised – after all, Spain is one of the world’s main tomato producers and we can feel safe in the knowledge that they wouldn’t let gazpacho become a thing of the past.
Possibly making it the only legislature in the world with a religious temple on-site
It’s not for the faint-hearted
And the effect is especially prominent among younger people who often turn down job offers due to the lack of nearby housing
Presenting the next chapter in the Dutch capital’s ‘Stay Away’ campaign aimed at rowdy tourists
The City says this has become a necessity due to the increasing number of incidents involving these vehicles
That way you can notify a canal lock keeper to open the gates so the animals can swim through
The organizers had been considering different Parisian spots, but always with the idea of the flame being visible to the people
Electricity production in that Eastern European country will not release direct CO2 emissions anymore
Possibly making it the only legislature in the world with a religious temple on-site
We owe the unusual cultural icon to this country in Europe
The country’s capital has been a pioneer in crafting policy and initiatives to improve coexistence between people and pets
The amendment to the law shows regard for the public health of youngsters
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team