Oil spills suck, right? Well, what if there was something that did the sucking for them? That’s what a team of scientists at the University of Pennsylvania presupposed when they created a new form of oil-soaking ‘frozen smoke’.

Taking its descriptive nickname from its appearance and weight, the low-density, ultra-sturdy aerogels they created are composed of carbon nanotubes. Weighing in at about three times the density of air, this nearly-invisible material can absorb up to 900 times its own weight.

Traditional aerogels have been used by NASA for their incredible insulating capacity, which makes them great for insulating the Mars rovers and snagging orbiting stardust (pictured above). The new nanotube aerogels were synthesized exclusively for absorption and are 99.9% empty space. The absorbed oil can simply be squeezed out or burned in the fire-resistant aerogels.

Oil spills are most certainly a tragedy that is best prevented, rather than cured. But these new carbon nanotube aerogels may very well be the last line of defense for aquatic creatures after an oil spill.

The post Nanotube Aerogels Could Suck Oil Spills Right Out of Oceans first appeared on Gajitz.

Our reliance on plastics has landed the world in a big old pot of hot water. We’re left now with a challenge: to find an alternative (or many alternatives) that won’t add to the mounting pile of non-biodegradable plastic waste currently taking up space in landfills. Oddly enough, the answer may lie in the lightweight but incredibly strong exoskeletons of insects. Using the same natural materials that make up insect exoskeletons, scientists developed an incredibly versatile material that could end our dependence on synthetic plastics.

A team of researchers from the Wyss Institute were experimenting with the compounds that make up insect shells for use in lightweight microelectronics. The material they came up with was surprising in its odd qualities: it was lightweight, very strong, and could be persuaded to range between elasticity and stiffness based only on the amount of water added. And maybe most importantly of all, it’s completely biodegradeable.

The material is called Shrilk, and it would be perfect for use in future medical applications. When used in the human body, Shrilk would have an expected lifespan of a few months before it breaks down, making it ideal as a scaffolding material for growing new tissues in situ. But Shrilk could also be used for more mundane applications like plastic grocery bags and product packaging. It would break down into nitrogen fertilizer within months when exposed to moisture, meaning that the days of eternal packaging may finally be numbered.

The post Science Taking Flight: New Plastic Based on Insect Wings first appeared on Gajitz.

Batteries may power our world and all of our favorite gadgets, but they are undeniably harmful to the planet. Bio-batteries – batteries that run on natural materials rather than dangerous chemicals – are a promising alternative for future generations. But so far, not many workable versions have really been developed. However, Sony recently threw their hat into the ring with a brilliant little battery that runs on cellulose and enzymes: the same system used by termites to get power from eating wood.

The system was displayed at the 2011 Eco-Products exhibition in Tokyo, where visitors were invited to “feed” the battery pieces of cardboard or shredded paper. The enzymes then went to work, breaking up the long chains of glucose found in the cellulose and producing small amounts of power – enough to run a small fan. Although the work is promising, it is nowhere near ready to replace our current batteries because of its low power output. But with enough development, a future without hazardous consumer batteries seems entirely possible.

The post Cellulose Cells: Termite Battery Eats Paper, Spits out Power first appeared on Gajitz.

The humble pizza box hasn’t undergone many innovations since it was invented. In fact, it’s so unchanged that most of us wouldn’t even think there were any possible improvements to be made. But a company called Environmentally Conscious Organization (or ECO Incorporated) has made a vast improvement to the pizza box design with their patented Green Box.

The box arrives at your door just like a regular pizza box, but what it does next is extraordinary. The top separates from the bottom via a perforation, and then it breaks apart into four smaller squares. The squares serve as plates for your cheesy treat, saving you the hassle of washing dishes.

After you’re done with your pizza, leftovers store neatly in the other half of the box. It folds in half to create a smaller box that fits into a fridge much more easily than a full-size pizza box can. The company that makes the Green Box says it’s made of recycled material and is 100% recyclable, making it a much more environmentally friendly choice than the standard cardboard pizza box.

The post Think Outside the Box: Pizza Box, Plates & Storage In One first appeared on Gajitz.

Conventional plastics take hundreds of years to biodegrade in landfills, which has prompted some recent studies into more Earth-friendly plastic alternatives. The first generation of such alternative materials were plastics made of corn, which carried their own share of controversy. Critics say that they take a large amount of energy and water to produce, they divert cotn away from the food production industry, and they are typically made with genetically modified corn. But now, sugar might come to the rescue.

Researchers at the Imperial College of London are developing a new kind of plastic that you may even be able to compost along with the rest of your organic waste. It’s made from the sugars found in quick-growing grasses and trees that are not used in food production, and they require around 80% less energy and water than corn plastics to produce. It’s taken over three years to produce successful results from the research, but the plastic produced by the team could significantly reduce the energy needed to produce plastic and the time it needs to biodegrade.

The post Totally Sweet: Sugar-Based Plastics Can Compost at Home first appeared on Gajitz.