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Using the process developed by Empa researchers, a substance called nanocellulose is produced from spent grain, the malt used in beer production. According to Empa, this biodegradable material can be processed, for example, into packaging or fibre-reinforced plastics.
This material was previously obtained from wood. But the wood could be used more responsibly elsewhere, the researchers said. “With our process, we can obtain high-quality materials from a waste product that was available very cheaply and in large quantities and is now largely wasted,” Empa researcher Gilberto Siqueira was quoted as saying in the statement.
The spent grain used by the researchers came from the Pentabier brewery in Dübendorf ZH. Scientists extracted nanocellulose fibers from this spent beer and turned them into airgel through freeze-drying. Airgel is an “airy” material with excellent thermal insulation properties due to the presence of a large number of pores.
Due to this feature, it is suitable for packaging temperature-sensitive foods, according to Empa. The researchers presented the new process to experts in the journal “ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering.”
(SDA)
Source : Blick
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