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.Category Archives: lifecycle topics
Can 3D Printing be Sustainable?
Despite all the wonderous news about 3D printing — artificial body parts, food, toys, buildings! — there is an environmental underside to it that isn’t as widely publicized. One recent article (in 3DPrint.com) points out heavy metal (antimony) content in 3D print filament. Another article (in TechRepublic) gives us “10 things to watch” including energy… Continue Reading
Paper in the Rye
Designers working on making paper from ag waste favor Rye fibers, reports Shea Gunther for Mother Nature Network. Professor Eric Benson (graphic design) and partners at the University of Illinois are running project Fresh Press to explore how they can turn locally available agricultural waste into paper, creating a “zero waste” alternative paper-making. They’ve built… Continue Reading
are carbon emissions a new source material?
Is it possible to take the carbon molecules in greenhouse gasses (methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide) and convert them into long carbon chains like plastic? This question is at the heart of a new area of sustainable materials engineering. AirCarbon is one company that’s taken this process commerical and currently supplies it emission-engineered… Continue Reading
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