Sir, I write with reference to the article by Henrik Edin on incentivising sustainability (C&I, 2022, 86, (3), 37). Letter from Chris Howick, Product Regulation Manager, Inovyn.
3D printing promises to speed construction, slash housing costs and dramatically improve the industry’s environmental credentials. But is the hype justified? Jasmin Fox-Skelly reports.
There is a common misperception that the Foundation Industries, which produce metals, chemicals, cement, ceramics, paper and glass, have changed little since the Industrial Revolution. They are often thought to still be manufacturing commodity products using ‘old’ technology. The reality is that an ever-growing demand to produce more of these materials, at lower cost, has driven considerable innovation over recent decades.
In an ever more competitive marketplace, makers of decorative paints often rely on unique selling points to make their products stand out. Some companies, however, may be misleading consumers with unsubstantiated green claims about their paints. A recent international analysis of websites conducted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that 40% of green claims made online could be misleading.
Researchers in Japan have engineered microbes to use light for energy for bio-manufacturing. The bacterium Escherichia coli was engineered with a light-driven proton pump, microbial rhodopsin, from salt-loving Haloterrigena turkmenica (Metabol. Eng., 2022, 72, 227).
Nigeria has commissioned a new urea manufacturing plant with an annual capacity of 3m t to boost domestic fertiliser consumption and produce more for export.
In the months since COP26 in November 2021, the continuing questions have been: What has happened since the discussions ended? Has any progress actually been made? Will there be a re-run of the same discussions in Egypt at the next COP?
Health experts agree that most people eat too much salt which can cause high blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Now, a new report provides insight into salt-reducing technologies that could help food companies modify their products.
A special catalyst has helped to break down plastic bottles into their original components. The catalyst is structurally related to the reaction products it creates, which could allow for its self-repair, say researchers at Northwestern University, US.
E-cigarettes mess with the inflammatory state of multiple organs in mice exposed to the aerosols, researchers in the US report.