Plants accumulating valuable metals, like nickel, can be farmed

This shrub oozes a green sap rich in nickel (Source: New Scientist)

Mining for metals is very destructive and expensive. For example, New Caledonia in the Pacific has rich deposits of nickel and its land has been ravaged by strip mining of the metal. However, some plants accumulate high concentrations of metals, such as nickel, possibly as a defence against pests. These plants are called hyperaccumulators and can be used to produce metals, perhaps reducing the need for mining. 

Nickel is an important metal for the making of steel and is used in many lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, phones and other consumer items. Demand for nickel and other metallic elements is expected to surge as they are needed for electric vehicles, wind turbines, magnets, lasers and other crucial technologies.

Hyperaccumlators have been found in areas where volcanic eruptions have brought the softened Earth's mantle, rich in metals, to the surface as ultramafic rock. The resulting soils have produced plants that accumulate metals such as cobalt, arsenic, manganese, zinc, nickel and other rare earth elements. 

As a result of finding these plants, farming has commenced and it is called agromining. Metal farms are now springing up in China, Europe and Malaysia. The ultramafic soils are poor for other crops, so are now given a more profitable use. In Europe, the nickel hyperaccumulator plant is related to kale. It is harvested, baled and burnt to release a nickel rich ash. The heat from burning is used to heat surrounding homes. The return per hectare is much greater than that for wheat.

Hyperaccumulator plants can also be used to rehabilitate old mining sites, such as in New Caledonia, as it is difficult to grow other plants there. Also field trials have been set up to test agromining production on old mining sites in China.

For more information see: How to grow metal. New Scientist, January 9, 2021, No3316, pp42-5.

How can we avoid buying products with palm oil ingredients?

 

Palm Oil Free face cream (Photo Julie May)

The repeated removal of tropical jungle to plant oil palms (Elaeis guineensis) for palm oil has reduced the habitat of many threatened species, in particular the Orangutan in South East Asia. Unfortunately (or fortunately for some) the large palm fruit is rich in oil which makes it a cheap oil to harvest.

Over the last few years I have been trying to buy products that do not contain palm oil but it is very hard to know which ingredients come from palm oil. I look for products that say they are 'palm oil free' but there are not many of those and it is often said that palm oil is in almost everything! See WWF webpage below for a general list of products containing palm oil.

Well thanks to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there is a list of ingredients that come from palm oil. Some are common ingredients that can come from other plants such as vegetable oil, vegetable fat, sodium lauryl sulphate and others, so further research is needed or the producing company contacted. Other ingredients are obviously from palm oil. The WWF also suggests looking for the sustainably produced palm oil symbol on products (see webpage).

Here is the WWF's list of ingredients coming from palm oil:

INGREDIENTS: Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Fat, Palm Kernel, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Fruit Oil, Palmate, Palmitate, Palmolein, Glyceryl, Stearate, Stearic Acid, Elaeis Guineensis, Palmitic Acid, Palm Stearine, Palmitoyl Oxostearamide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Kernelate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Lauryl Lactylate/Sulphate, Hyrated Palm Glycerides, Etyl Palmitate, Octyl Palmitate, Palmityl Alcohol. CONTAINS: Palm oil (World Wildlife Fund).

For years I have been unknowingly using face creams that contain one or two palm oil ingredients, so I decided to try to find one without. From Coles in Australia, I found the Australian made Sukin pictured above. It has a long list of ingredients but does not contain any of the above. There are other plant oils included such as from: sesame, cacao, rosehip, macadamia, jojoba, argan, candelilla, baobab, acai, hibiscus, goji, tangerine, mandarin, lavender and carrot oils. Vegetable protein is listed but possibly not from palm oil as oils/fats do not contain protein.

For more information see the WWF webpage at: https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/which-everyday-products-contain-palm-oil

Reusable bamboo facial pads to reduce waste and plastic use

EverEco reusable bamboo facial pads (photo J May)

These soft, reusable bamboo facial pads by EverEco can be washed in the bag provided. Having these reduces the waste of throwaway pads and the use of plastic packaging. In addition, bamboo is an easily replaced fibre as it is a very fast growing plant.

EverEco has many different sustainable products which can be viewed here and ordered online: https://evereco.com.au/.

“Carpet made from fishing nets and recycled plastic”

Source: Wikipedia

A foresighted carpet manufacturer, ege®, from Herning, Denmark, has since 1938 kept up with time, constantly improving production and sustainability practices.  It is now able to produce a 100 per cent recycled carpet. 

The backing layer of the carpet is made from recycled plastic. Water bottles made of PET plastic is broken down into flakes and then fibres used for creating the felt backings ensuring a long-lasting product. The upper layer of the carpet is made from regenerated fishing nets, which can be a hazard to marine wildlife if left abandoned. 

The company aims to foster a sustainable outcome from almost all of its production practices. 2 million litres of residual dye are recycled along with 7,000 kilograms of chemicals, 1,572 MWh recirculated heat from production facilities, 81 per cent recycled cardboard equivalent to 183,000 kilograms of packaging for carpet tiles for example and much more. 

Read more: 

- Carpet made from fishing nets and recycled plastic. State of Green, accessed June 4, 2020. 

- ege carpets: https://www.egecarpets.com/

British Manor saves US$12,280 a year with biomass boiler

Barrington Court, Somerset, UK (photo: J May)

Barrington Court, Somerset, UK, now belonging to the National Trust, is saving 10,000 pounds per year (A$18,550, US$12,280) after replacing its oil boiler with a biomass boiler. The energy comes from burning wood pellets from local sustainable forests. 

The building is a very large 16^th century manor and a popular tourist attraction. Being an old building, keeping it warm in winter requires a great deal of heat. The oil boiler emitted a lot of fossil fuel CO2, so with these renewable wood pellets there is a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. 

“Although wood does emit carbon dioxide when burned, it is considered close to carbon neutral as the amount it emits is the same amount as it has absorbed during its lifetime. It is a sustainable and renewable process so long as woodlands are allowed to regrow following harvesting and that the wood-fuel is not transported far. Even if you include the energy used to make a biomass boiler, using wood will emit 94% less [excess] carbon dioxide than oil.”  (Barrington Court, 2015). 

For more information: 

- Barrington Court, National Trust 

- Biomass boiler project, National Trust 

- Biomass heating system at Barrington Court, 2015. pdf

Bicycles in Amsterdam

Last year I was in Amsterdam and was intrigued by their bicycle culture, so I took a few photographs. To tell you more about Amsterdam’s bikes, here are some headlines from “19 interesting facts about bicycles in Amsterdam” (Amsterdam Hangout, September 2019): 

– 1. There are over 881,000 bikes in Amsterdam. 

– 2. The number of bikes is four times the number of cars. 

– 3. Statistically, each resident of Amsterdam owns at least 1.5 bikes.

 – 4. The most popular type of bicycle on Amsterdam’s streets is the traditional Omafjets (see blue bike in photos). 

– 5. 35% of trips daily in Amsterdam are by bike. 

– 6. 60% of Amsterdammers use their bike every day. 

– 10. Amsterdam has a wide network of traffic-calmed streets. 

– 13. Amsterdam has currently over 400 kilometers of bicycle paths. (Read more from the hyperlink above.)

Can’t buy enough sanitary pads – try reusable MyPads

Reusable MyPads (Source: MyPads)

MyPads are reusable menstrual and incontinence pads made from cotton and/or hemp. They are Australian-made and come from bushfire affected South Coast NSW. You can order them online from www.mypads.com.au and an introductory pack is available. 

Benefits of cloth pads: 
- they are cheaper over time than disposable tampons and pads, 
- they save sending single-use, plastic, synthetic pads to waste, 
- they are breathable and gentle on the skin, 
- the hemp inserts are more absorbent than disposable pads, 
- they are convenient as you never need to run out of pads again, 
- they are comfortable to wear. 

Why Hemp? 
- hemp requires no chemicals to grow so is kinder to the land and to your skin, 
- hemp fabric is antibacterial and anti-fungal, 
- hemp is ten times more stronger than cotton and thus more durable, 
- hemp is more absorbent than cotton so the inserts are thinner and less bulky. 

Read more at: 
- MyPads: www.mypads.com.au
 - MyPads – How Do They Work?: www.mypads.com.au/how-do-they-work/

Can't get enough portable hand sanitisers - try this!

Meths-soaked handkerchief in plastic bag. Photo: Julie May

Since the coronavirus became more widespread, I have been unable to purchase portable hand sanitisers at my local supermarkets, so I had to improvise. 

The advice on hand cleaning came from governments and it was to: frequently wash our hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser. Apparently, the best is to use soap as it breaks down the fats in the virus, killing it. Next best is an alcohol-based hand sanitiser as the alcohol kills the virus. Hand cleaners without alcohol or soap do not work! 

Soap and water are easier to use at home but I needed portable hand sanitisers while out so I could wipe some hard surfaces and clean my hands after touching hard surfaces at the supermarkets, on hand rails, door knobs, steering wheels and similar. So, I used what I had at home: a handkerchief with a few dabs of methylated spirits (95% alcohol) placed in a degradable plastic bag or better still a click zip one (to prevent evaporation). 

If you no longer have handkerchiefs, which are reusable, then you can use tissues, serviettes or similar but not toilet paper as it breaks up easily. Make your hand sanitiser just before going out as 'meths' evaporates quickly. If anybody knows better, please let me know. 
- N.B. 'Meths' is toxic and drying if used in large amounts or for a long time in one application. Just use a little quickly and only when out of the house if you can't find better portable hand sanitisers.

- Keep safe and well.

Biodegradable drinking straws made from rye grain stalks left after harvest

Rye drinking straws made from the stalks left over after rye grain harvest. (ABC News)

There is a growing demand for biodegradable or reusable straws as some governments around the world legislate to reduce single-use plastics including plastic drinking straws.

Straws made from the hollow stems of wheat, rice and bamboo are already available in Australia, but are imported from overseas. Marion Vigot and Alexis Branlard aim to supply Australian biodegradable straws made from the strong, hollow stems of rye for the Australian market. They hope to produce 1 million straws from the first harvest and have formed the start-up company called Mister Rye based in Adelaide. South Australia is to ban single-use plastics next year and they are hoping to offer these rye straws as one of the alternatives.

One hectare of rye can produce 300,000 straws, so they only need a few hectares to make a million. They have formed arrangements with two organic rye farmers to do this. After harvesting the rye grain, the rye stalks are gently harvested and rolled into small bales by a vintage 1950’s hay baler. Then the straws are selected from between the nodes and hand cut by a team of workers. Marion and Alexis are hoping to mechanise this latter process. The straws are available online from Mister Rye at: https://www.misterrye.com/ 

For more information: 

- “Recycled rye straws an option to help environment and farmers in war on single-use plastics.” ABC News, October 11, 2019. 

– Also featured on Landline, 08/03/20, and available on iView for awhile: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/landline/series/0/video/RF1904Q006S00

Australian eucalyptus-based cleaners from Bosisto’s

Bosisto's eucalyptus spray and wipes (photo Julie May)

These effective local products were created by Bosisto’s which was founded in 1852 by Joseph Bosisto. It is the oldest fully Australian owned company and the first to extract and produce eucalyptus oil products. The oil comes from a natural forest of Blue Mallee trees at Inglewood, near Bendigo, Victoria. Today the company produces many different products that are natural and without harmful ingredients. The two spray and wipes pictured above are effective cleaners and disinfectants as eucalyptus oil is antiseptic – plus it has a pleasant odour! 

The company now uses a range of Australian native essential oils as seen in the hand and body cleaners made from: Desert lime and Eucalyptus; Kakadu Plum and Lemon Myrtle; Banksia Flower and Lavender; Waratah Flower, Mint and Mandarin to name a few. Other products include: cold and flu remedies; laundry and other cleaning products; aromatherapy and other therapeutic and personal care products. All are available online or a selection can be purchased at most Australian supermarkets, including the two cleaners pictured above. 

Reference: https://www.bosistos.com.au/

Recaptured carbon dioxide may help us recycle batteries

Source: New Scientist

In a way that can assist with the recycling of metals from batteries, scientists from the University of Lyon, France, have come up with the chemistry to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air to extract the metals.

The process uses a mixture of polyamines which adsorb carbon dioxide readily. The scientists used carbon dioxide from the exhaust of an internal combustion engine to be fixated into a polyamine solution. As result, they gradually created a library of CO₂ loadings and solvents to assist with the precipitation of different metals.

They demonstrated that these metals could be extracted: lanthanum (La), nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co). This shows that the three metal constituents of the La₂Ni₉Co alloys used to manufacture the batteries of electric vehicles can be separated and recovered by successive CO₂-induced selective precipitations.

This research shows that CO₂ can be captured sustainably as opposed to the capture and storage of CO₂ underground.

References:
- Captured carbon dioxide could be used to help recycle batteries. New Scientist, January 13, 2020.
-“Simultaneous CO₂ capture and metal purification from waste streams using triple-level dynamic combinatorial chemistry.” By J Septavaux, et.al. Nature Chemistry, 2020: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-019-0388-5

Could food ‘made from air’ let us ditch farms?

Source: New Scientist

A Finnish company called Solar Foods makes food ‘from air’. First, they used the electricity from solar panels to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The resulting hydrogen provides energy to bacteria which can extract carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen from the air to make protein-rich organic matter. They do this more efficiently than plants grown via photosynthesis and the food is grown in vats in factories that take up much less land area than contemporary farms.

Food production is inefficient as less than 0.5% of the light energy falling on a field gets turned into food. By contrast, solar panels convert around 17% of the light energy falling on them into electricity. Solar Foods says it can turn electricity into food, via hydrogen, with an efficiency of 20%. (New Scientist)

Farming and land clearance produce a third of all greenhouse gases. Also, the clearing of land for farming reduces habitat for our wildlife. This process could help reduce the need for extra farmland and even allow some farms to return native habitat for the rewilding of endangered animals. This could be a more sustainable way to feed our growing population.

Read more: Can we really save the planet by making food ‘from air’ without farms? New Scientist, January 10, 2020.