Closing the plastic loop
Plastic recycling has become a hot topic. The seriousness of plastic pollution has forced itself upon us. Industry, indeed the world, needs to close the plastic loop. But we don’t know how yet. Industry and policy makers will have to mount a concerted effort that includes taxation of fossil carbon in chemicals and materials. In
Plastic recycling: urgent, but a major problem
Suddenly, articles on plastic recycling pop up everywhere. Spurred on the one hand by continued growth in plastics production; and on the other hand by the ever growing problem of plastic waste. Scientists foresee that in 2050, there will be more plastic waste than fish in the oceans – if present trends continue. Something needs
Mass timber, the new technology
A revolution has taken place in the construction industry: the development of mass timber, the technical term for industrial timber. It allows for the construction of innovative buildings. Mass timber as a construction material can now even outperform bricks, concrete and steel in terms of cost, sustainability and wellbeing. MaterialDistrict, a Dutch foundation, has published
Timber, the old and new construction material
The world is rediscovering timber. Thanks to new technologies that open up new constructive techniques; and to a better appreciation of sustainability. MaterialDistrict, a Dutch foundation, has published Tomorrow’s timber, a book that explores all aspects of building with it, from GHG emissions and fire resistance to design and costs. This is the first of
A solution to the Sargassum problem
Since 2011, the Caribbean is bothered by seaweed. Large quantities of Sargassum are washed up on the shores. There it rots, depleting the coastal waters from oxygen, releasing hydrogen sulphide and methane. And trapping marine life, coral reefs and fish. Apart from being an absolute nuisance, the seaweed is bad for tourism, on which many
Plant biostimulation, a new chapter in agriculture
Plant biostimulation is a new approach to agriculture. So far, substances that assisted the farmer were fertilizers and plant protection products, each with a well-known chemical composition. Biostimulants on the other hand are mixtures of compounds and organisms defined primarily by their effects: their beneficial functions to grower, agrosystem and the environment. This is a
There is no such thing as an individual
Modern biologists are waging a fierce debate on the meaning of the concept of the individual. Definitions of well-known phenomena like symbiosis and parasitism need to be rephrased. The debate goes beyond the world of plants and micro-organisms; the subject of the discussion includes mammals and therefore also mankind. We know for a long time
on: 26 November 2020