Paper beer bottles, 3D printed boats, hydrogen-powered rescues; the new Mirai, plastics from potato, Hallowe’en biobased coffins, The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of October 18th

This week there’s Hallowe’en around the corner and we’ll point to the very latest in biobased DIY coffins, but leading this week is the unexpected ways to make the ordinary stuff we know — like, the paper beer bottle, a 3d printed boat, and pallets made from coconut husks. And, some more exotic inventions, too — a new catalyst for fuel cells, and a cryogenic hydrogen technology that aims to minimize one of the largest logistical issues in delivering hydrogen at scale— efficient storage and transfer. Not so mention a hydrogen-powered rescue boat so cool it might have kept Baywatch on television for a few more seasons.

#1 Carlsberg unveils paper beer bottle 

In the Netherlands, popular brewer Carlsberg claims to have created the world’s first paper beer bottle.

Currently, there are two prototypes. Both use wood fiber, but one uses recycled polyethylene terephthalate plastic as an interior coating to prevent leaks, while the other uses 100% biobased polyethylene furanoate.

The company began working on the bottles as part of its efforts to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2030.

“While we are not completely there yet, the two prototypes are an important step towards realizing our ultimate ambition of bringing this breakthrough to market,” said Myriam Shingleton, the company’s vice president of development. “Innovation takes time and we will continue to collaborate with leading experts to overcome remaining technical challenges, just as we did with our plastic reducing Snap Pack [plastic-free beer can packaging].” ecoXpac, researchers at Danish Technical University, and BillerudKorsnäs collaborated with Carlsberg to create the prototypes.

More on the story, here.