Plastic from weed

WATER hyacinth is considered one of the most notorious aquatic weeds. It proliferates rapidly in lakes, dams and irrigation channels and chokes them. But scientists have now shown that the infamous weed is a rich source of carbohydrate and can be used to make biodegradable plastic.

Stench in my backyard

Rising popularity of artificial vanilla puts Kerala farmers in distress

 

How green is your building?

Brinksman

How hazardous is dismantling a decommissioned ship? It does have dangerous substances like asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) and spent oil. Who should be allowed to engage in shipbreaking? What rules exist to ensure the safety of labour involved in dismantling ships and the environment? A brief recap is essential for clarity.

Of algae, worms and cash flow

Microorganisms, earthworms enrich the soil Biofertilisers and earthworms are increasingly being used to replace chemical fertilizers

Bagful of doubts

Sometimes you might go to a shop and in spite of protests handed a plastic bag. The bag will perish naturally, the shop attendant might tell you. In the past three years, different kinds of plastics claiming to be biodegradable, have entered the Indian market. But most of these brands that sell such bags do not meet Indian standards. The ones that do pass the test, are also being questioned as authorities are not equipped to test for 100 per cent degradability.

It’s a bad synthetic world

Plastics are everywhere and they are virtually indestructible. The US alone uses 80 million tonnes of plastics in a year—about as much as the marine catch of the world in the 1990s.

Dump wars

INDIA generates over 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste daily. This is almost 10 per cent of the entire solid waste generated. Mukesh Doble and his student Trishul Artham from the Indian Institute Technology in Chennai spent a year experimenting with fungii that can degrade bisphenol A (BPA)-containing plastic.

Science & Technology - Briefs

GENETICS Godplayer The question the world is asking is should scientists be allowed to play God? US researchers have recreated the blueprint of life—an achievement of such dimensions that it has been hailed as a landmark victory.