Christmas trees to paint and sweeteners, newly discovered protein, hemp beard oils, potato waste fiberboard, biobased outdoor apparel and cosmetics, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of January 10th

The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of January 10th.

In today’s Digest, Christmas trees to paint and sweeteners, newly discovered protein, hemp beard oils, potato waste fiberboard, biobased outdoor apparel and cosmetics — these and more, ready for you now at The Digest online.

#1 ‘Tis the season: UK researchers find use for discarded Christmas trees

In the United Kingdom, researchers at the University of Sheffield say they have developed a way to convert old Christmas trees into products such as paint and sweeteners.

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, 7-8 million trees end up in landfills despite local Christmas tree recycling programs. There, decomposing needles release greenhouse gases.

UoS’s Cynthia Kartey, however, says she and her team have developed a way to break down the lignocellulose in pine needles into useful bio-oil and bio-char.

“My research has been focused on the breakdown of this complex structure into simple, high-valued industrial chemical feedstocks such as sugars and phenolics, which are used in products like household cleaners and mouthwash,” Kartey tells Earth.com. “Biorefineries would be able to use a relatively simple but unexplored process to break down the pine needles.”
More on the story, here.