When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is the limit. As 3D printing technology continues to advance, applications can be as far reaching as airplane and automobile parts to medical devices and even anatomically correct, biocompatible models. Although 3D printing technology is developing at a rapid pace, the technology itself is not new. It emerged in the 1980s as a means of creating rapid prototypes. In recent years the applications for 3D printed models have evolved with the available hardware, software, and printable materials. Evolving technology, paired with the creative and innovative minds of scientists, engineers, and physicians, has been the launching pad for developments within 3D printing technology specific to healthcare. One way 3D printing technology is poised to create better patient outcomes is in creating an anatomically and patient-specific models to aid in surgery and medical procedures. With the capability to 3D ...
It is said that to make an omelet, you must first break an egg. Perhaps now, thanks to research at the University of Leicester in England, after you’ve made the omelet you can use the leftover egg shell to increase a number of recyclable plastics.
Scientists at the University are using the proteins in egg shells, called glycosaminoglycans, which the pharmaceutical industry uses to help people with cartilage and connective tissue problems, to create a starch-based plastic, reports CNN. That material could then be used to “bulk up” existing plastics.
Currently, University researchers have mixed the extract from the egg shells into a range of plastics up to a level of 30%, but they believe that level could increase to 50%, William Wise, a post-doctoral research associate at the university’s green chemistry unit, tells FoodProductionDaily.com.
The new material could be used in multiple ways, Wise says, from food packaging to general packaging. He expects that the new compounds will be stable:
We will need to do all the safety tests on material for food packaging but we are confident at this stage that there will be no problems with them exhibiting bacterial stability and remaining sterile throughout the process.
In addition to providing sustainable material to augment plastic packaging, the innovation also could save money for companies that use large quantities of eggs. Manufacturers that pay to have egg shells taken to landfills could instead recycle the remnants for the new plastic compounds.
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