Fibres of the future (1): cotton and its limits
World production of cotton will not increase much anymore, I read several times recently – mainly as the result of its large water requirements. Whereas we know for sure that global demand for fibres for clothing will continue to increase, primarily because of growing affluence. So we might well ask: how will a reasonably affluent
Synbra and BioBTX win bio-based innovation awards 2016
At the bio-based conferences in Amsterdam this week, organised by Bio-Based World News, innovation awards were granted to Synbra and BioBTX. Bio-based awards The winner of the Bio-Based Product of the Year (Europe) 2016 was ‘Greeny’, a new line of ice containers made from BioFoam® by Synbra and recently launched In Italy. Synbra is one
Gene drive: the new debate
One of my favourite blogs, grist.org, ran an article this week on a subject so far completely unknown to me: gene drive. A subject of major importance that should be discussed by all our readers. Or would it be another hype, as one of the commentators suggested? The gene drive, a new technology A gene
Sustainable Timber Tower on the Rise
Imagine a highly-urbanized city where wood is the icon of its skyscrapers, structures in timber towering over iron and concrete tall buildings. It is a vision that does not only challenge the popularity of steel construction but also sets a significant take on sustainability in the form of a creative design. The best part is:
Bamboo, a promising feedstock
Bamboo is a promising green feedstock. It is not only used for construction (approximately 1 billion people live in bamboo homes), we can now also make clothing from it and eat it. It is one of the fastest growing plants on earth, grows on degraded soils and does not need fertilizer or irrigation when cultivated.
Avantium: investment climate in Europe has much improved
Less than a year ago, at the Biobased Economy network conference in Amsterdam, we heard Avantium’s Ed de Jong tell the audience that the long-awaited first commercial FDCA plant would ‘most likely’ not be located in Europe. But in last March, Avantium announced that it intends to construct it on the BASF ‘Verbund’ site in
Waste is the most important biobased resource; but legal barriers abound
We are underutilising waste, says Eva Gladek, CEO of Metabolic in Amsterdam. It is a very important source for a circular economy. The most important challenge is not technical but legal, although large companies like DSM need a more homogeneous feedstock than waste can generally offer. This challenge can be surmounted if we use biological
Economists, listen: the earth is NOT a closed system
Many social scientists make an appeal to fundamental laws of nature in order to sustain their arguments. Fine, if their interpretation is tenable from a scientific point of view. But often, this is not the case. Economists tend to look upon the earth as a closed system and this gives rise to unnecessary doomsday philosophies.
on: 16 May 2016