Liquid Wood: A Green Alternative to Plastic?

There are a lot of problems with plastic. It’s made from petroleum, it’s non-biodegradable and it contains all kinds of harmful substances like bisphenol-A and phthalates. But, we rely on it heavily, and there hasn’t been an alternative that’s quite as versatile – until now. At least, that’s what the creators of a new bio-plastic called Arboform are saying. Arboform is liquid wood derived from wood pulp-based lignin.

And, Arboform is no waste of trees. This liquid wood is actually created from waste byproducts of the papermaking industry. From MSNBC:

In paper mills, wood is typically separated into its three main components: lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose.

Lignin, which tends to give paper a brownish hue, can be used for lower-quality newsprint but is most often separated out with a sulfite- or sulfate-based pulping process prior to the production of high-quality paper.

By mixing that discarded lignin with fibers and wax, Tecnaro, a spin-off German company, has refined a technique for producing plastic-like pellets. Under high-pressure conditions, Eisenreich said, the composite material behaves like melted plastic, allowing it to be injected through a nozzle into a mold and made into a wide range of forms.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology in Pfinztal, Germany have created toys, figurines, ballpoint pens, golf tees, loudspeaker boxes and even car parts from the material. Norbert Eisenreich, a senior researcher with the institute, says Arboform can be broken into pieces and recycled as filler or burned like wood.

Some environmental scientists warn that the material must be tested to ensure safety, especially if it’s going to be used for toys, but it sounds promising. It definitely seems as if it would be a huge improvement over plastic.

Link [MSNBC]

Recycled, Eco-Friendly Simply Wood Rings

Wood from an old baseball bat, no longer suitable for the sport, given new life as a pair of beautiful wedding rings.  Now that’s upcycling.  Jewelry maker Gustav Reyes takes salvaged wood and transforms it into rings with names like “A tree grows in Brooklyn” and “no beginning or end”.  Designs include a walnut and maple engagement ring with a salvaged diamond setting, a bog wood ring inlaid with turquoise and a teakwood band with a braided silver inlay.

From the Simply Wood Rings website:

Most of my wooden wedding rings are made of salvaged lumber; some simply found. Much of the lumber used is sourced from other crafts people. Lumber such as that from the elegant neck of a violin that had its beginnings filling orchestra halls with sounds that soothed the human soul, or the wood from the baseball bat of a mothers’ young son. All the material used to make these rings had a previous noble life before their transformation to a new life of beauty.

The rings are handmade from a single piece of wood, making them strong and durable.  The best way to care for them is to wear them often, as the oils from your skin will keep the wood from drying out.

Check out the entire collection at the 100% solar-powered Simply Wood Rings website.

Link [Simply Wood Rings] via [Green Daily]

Nokia Cell Phone Made of Sustainably Harvested Wood

If there’s one thing I hate about modern gadgets, it’s all the plastic.  I’ve long looked back at wooden electronics wishing you could still find up-to-date versions of the sophisticated designs.  Plus, there’s the fact that so many plastic gadgets contain toxic materials, and all that plastic ends up getting thrown away.  Well, Nokia might just give me the cell phone of my dreams, if this new prototype made of sustainable timber ends up going into production mode.

From Cell Phone Beat:

Mobile phones with metallic bodies, which in the designer mode are even seen studded with diamonds and crystals, will have an environment-friendly competitor, if the eco-friendly wooden Nokia concept is realized sometime in the distant future. The natural soulful look of the phone, fitted with advanced technical features, will make it the most sought after device by environmentally-conscious, cell phone users, looking for a phone that does not contaminate the environment with its toxic elements.

The eco-friendly wooden Nokia concept phone features an 8-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, speaker and Symbian S60 Operating System.  The perfect combination of old-school looks and modern functionality.  Sweet!  I wonder if I could bribe Nokia to send me a prototype even if this design doesn’t go on the market…

Link [Cell Phone Beat]