Your food waste could be turned into an indestructible material with environmental benefits

PlasCarb are researching ways to convert food scraps into graphene!

This material was founded in 2004, and it's so incredible that even Bill gates is trying to create an ultra-safe condom out of it!

Graphene is apparently the thinnest substance ever made, it is as stiff as diamond and hundreds of times stronger than steel, yet extremely flexible and even stretchable! It can conduct electricity faster than any other known material, and can convert light of any wavelength into a current.

Scientists are now trying to figure out a way to turn biogas, which is the result of Aneorobic digestion, into graphite carbon (the precursor for graphene). Biogas is already used to power cars, supermarkets and even Disney World! Thus, it would be a completely sustainable why of creating this 'wonder material'! This process will also create hydrogen, a potential renewable energy source.

If this revolutionary material could be made from food scraps, and create a renewable energy source in the process, then a handful of our problems may be solved! The general idea is, there may not be an endless supply of crops, but there is definitely a high volume of discarded food.

It's still in its early stages, but scientists are working on it. The Guardian states

"There is still a question of scalability and how both small and large businesses could access the technology to deal with their waste... A pilot trial lasting at least a month will see 150 tonnes of food transformed into 25,000 cubic metres of biogas and then on into the graphitic carbon and renewable hydrogen. The results of this will give the team some indication about future market interest and uptake."

If they can scale this up, then PlasCarb will contribute to prolonging the life cycle of our food. Let's hope they figure it all out soon and our lives become food-waste free!