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Companies Changing the Face of Polymer Recycling

Central to any circular economy is polymer recycling. Current mechanical recycling processes face many issues from societal perceptions of recycling, to economic and technological barriers; however, there are a number of companies whose innovations are changing the face of polymer recycling. From IDTechEx's latest report, "Green Technology and Polymer Recycling: Market Analysis 2020-2030" by Dr Bryony Core, here is a rundown of some of these key companies.

Plant-Based Meat: An Outlook For 2020

2019 has been a big year for plant-based meat substitutes. Spurred on by consumer perceptions of healthiness and a global megatrend towards conscious consumptions, sales of plant-based meat grew by almost 40%, compared with 2017. In the three months after going public, plant-based burger maker Beyond Meat's share price surged by 500% and rival Impossible Foods secured an additional $300 million in funding.

SananBio US

SananBio is a Chinese-American horticultural lighting company that supplies the vertical farming industry. In December 2019, IDTechEx Analyst Dr Michael Dent spoke with George Carter III from SananBio US about the company's RADIX hardware for vertical farming.

A Soft Robotic Insect That Survives Being Flattened by a Fly Swatter

Researchers have developed an ultra-light robotic insect that uses its soft artificial muscles to move at 3 cm per second across different types of terrain. It can be folded or crushed and yet continue to move.

Heavy Metals Free Battery Design

IBM Research is building on a long history of materials science innovation to unveil a new battery discovery. This new research could help eliminate the need for heavy metals in battery production and transform the long-term sustainability of many elements of our energy infrastructure.

Chiton Mollusk Provides Model for New Armor Design

The motivations for using biology as inspiration to engineering vary based on the project, but the combination of flexibility and protection seen in the chiton mollusk was all the motivation necessary.

Smart Intersections Could Cut Autonomous Car Congestion

In the not-so-distant future, city streets could be flooded with autonomous vehicles. Self-driving cars can move faster and travel closer together, allowing more of them to fit on the road - potentially leading to congestion and gridlock on city streets.

Scientists Convert Plastics into Useful Chemicals for Fuel Cells

Chemists have discovered a method that could turn plastic waste into valuable chemicals by using sunlight. In lab experiments, the research team mixed plastics with their catalyst in a solvent, which allows the solution to harness light energy and convert the dissolved plastics into formic acid - a chemical used in fuel cells to produce electricity.

Refueling Satellites in Space, With the Help of a Robot

Many technologies that are essential for daily life — from communications to GPS navigation to weather forecasting — rely on the thousands of satellites that are orbiting Earth. When those satellites run out of gas and stop working, there's not much that can currently be done to fix them.

Ground-Breaking Autonomous Transport Project in Qatar

In Doha, representatives of Volkswagen AG and the Qatar Investment Authority signed the 'Project Qatar Mobility'. The goal is to develop a ground-breaking autonomous transport project and transform the future of urban mobility to a sustainable and commercial deployment of AD shuttles and bus services - even beyond 2022.

Freestanding Microwire-Array Enables Flexible Solar Window

TSCs are emerging devices that combine the advantages of visible transparency and light-to-electricity conversion. One of the valuable prospective applications of such devices is their integration into buildings, vehicles, or portable electronics.

Spread Co., Ltd.

Spread is Japan's largest vertical farming company, producing 51,000 heads of lettuce every day inside its highly automated facilities. In December 2019, IDTechEx Analyst Dr Michael Dent spoke with representatives from Earthside Group, parent company of Spread.

Curexo

Curexo operates in two very different fields: medical and trades. The medical field includes surgical robots, rehabilitation robots, robot supplies and services, and artificial joint supplies (implants). Its trades business include food, food additives and livestock products.

NextEnergy Solar Fund Energises UK's Largest Subsidy-Free Solar Plant

The Staughton solar plant will cover the yearly electricity demand of approximately 15,000 UK households. It is largely located on a former airfield on the Bedfordshire/Cambridgeshire border.

Optimizing Additive Manufacturing on a Molecular Level

As the complexity and applications of additive manufacturing increase, researchers are digging down to the smallest scales to optimize the technology on a molecular level.

Duratech Announces First Commercial Production of In-Mold Electronics

DuraTech Industries Inc is announcing its first commercial production of in-mold electronics (IME). IME combines all of the benefits of in-mold decorating with printed, conductive inks, creating a unique solution to user experiences.

Flexible Integrated Circuits Thinner Than a Human Hair

PragmatIC CEO Scott White talks about the rapid commercial ramp-up of its award-winning RFID product range, as well as the recently launched FlexIC Foundry offering that allows fab-less design of silicon-free chips.

Wärtsilä Modular Block Solution to Modernise Power Generation

Wärtsilä announces the first order of its innovative new Wärtsilä Modular Block solution for power generation to Aggreko, a global provider of mobile, modular power, temperature control and energy services.

Vehicle Batteries Provide New Energy for Households

Volvo Buses is now giving a second life to batteries from electric buses. In a unique cooperation with Stena Property and Stena Recycling's subsidiary BatteryLoop, bus batteries are used for energy storage and as an energy source in Gothenburg's Fyrklövern residential complex. The project is a step towards circular economy in electromobility creating new commercial possibilities for companies.

Nanograf

Previously SiNode, Nanograf develop silicon-graphene composite electrodes for Li-ion batteries. They presented at the IDTechEx Show USA 2019.