Transparent Wood? Scientists Invent Biodegradable Material That Could Replace Plastics
Transparent Wood? Scientists Invent Biodegradable Material That Could Replace Plastics
Scientist have invented a new type of transparent wood that could one day replace harmful plastics in several applications.
I am curious at how many of these pointless reports are going to be made. I have seen countless reports like this and at the end of the day we are drowning in plastic.
Every year there is a new article about a scientist finding a new bacteria, funghi worm or other kind of species that can digest plastic. However they work only in perfect lab condition and on smaller scale. Sadly there is no real world usage yet.
You’re not wrong, but that’s what science and research ARE. If you want engineering and commercialization, go subscribe to those communities, not “science.”
you get it
Now those woke scientists are making transgender wood /s
How much transparent plastic do you have as a building material in your house? Because we already have a non-plastic alternative - it’s called glass. And that’s what ALL the clear surfaces are in my house envelope.
I'm skeptical of this for two reasons.
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The thing that makes plastic as a building material so useful is that it takes forever to degrade. Biodegradable building materials seems like it would be counterproductive and make the problem worse, not better.
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So far, every time some new variety of biodegradable plastic comes along, it turns out to be a big fat lie.
Biodegradable just means you protect it just like we protect current biodegradable materials. But your #2 stands, the research is great but until I see it in production or on a shelf for sale, it's just research.
You realize we still use wood for most housing frames, right? Wood is biodegradable.
The framing gets sealed and protected from moisture. It is not exposed to the outside. Exterior exposed wood is either pressure treated to resist rot, is a species that is naturally rot resistant, or it is painted.
Remember, the article is talking about altering wood to be both transparent and biodegradable. That sounds like a window to me. That is a role that is currently filled with either glass or plastic. You would not choose a biodegradable material for exterior use and most windows are used on the outside of a structure.
Wood is biodegradable. But biodegradable doesn’t mean “constantly degrading.” Wood is good for centuries as long as it is kept dry. A great deal of building technique is about ensuring that, so you can use this light, strong material that literally grows on trees.
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I don’t think were replacing plastic anytime soon but using materials smarter is always nice.
But we should, because plastic is made of oil. And that oil goes CO², be it because it's burned or because it rots away in nature.
Don't talk to me until it's transparent aluminum
Now, all we need is a bird of prey and two humpback whales.
We've had that for awhile now
Fascinating. I would love to see a screens with ALON coating
Saphire.
No problem!
Vacuum chamber transparent wood filled with resin. Ok yeah sure that'll "replace plastics"
If you'd like a real demo of what this article is talking about check out this NileRed video
I also assumed that was the process here, but from the article this does seem to be something slightly different. Overall process seems to be roughly the same, but they're using biodegradable materials instead of resin, apparently a mix of egg white and "rice extract"
Now I'm personally skeptical about how long-lasting something made from egg and rice can be, although I guess there are still tempera paintings (tempera paint is made from egg yolks) around from the Renaissance, so what the hell do I know?
And the chemicals used to strip the lignin from the wood aren't exactly the most environmentally friendly, but I guess arguably they're better than some of the ones used in plastic production.
I dont think transpaency is the attribute we need for most plastics. Thats glass.
I’m gonna build a clear house like that to retire in just to make sure nobody buys any lots within viewing distance of my saggy old man balls.
Never heard about again.
Sounds like cellophane.
But strong
So far theres only 2 or 3 implementations of this and none of them biodegradable. In fact it expends biodegradable wood to make a non biodegradable material. Plus it just sucks flat out. Not a single implementation is suitable for production.
From the article it does sound like this one may actually be biodegradable, the other implementations I've seen involve stripping lignin from the wood and impregnating it with resin, which all hair-splitting aside is basically plastic with extra steps. This is apparently using egg whites and some kind of rice extract instead of resin, so I don't see any reason this shouldn't be biodegradable.
Suitability for production and practical applications remain to be seen though.
I’m mad about this