Artificial spider silk provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics
1–10 of 21 posts
Re: Artificial spider silk provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics
#2Looks cool. I wonder how it compares to classic plant fibres like hemp.
Also I think "vegan" is a bad tag to add, even if it was done by the journo. I don't want to open that can of soy worm-substitute, but the point of this doesn't seem to be avoiding the use of spiders or anything like that, rather it's just an efficient way to grow a cool material that bears similarities to spider silk.
Re: Artificial spider silk provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics
#3Interesting! But when a material is described as "home-compostable", I immediately have to ask myself what stops it from composting while still being used as packaging? OTOH, if they make it stable enough to have a long useful shelf-life, they have the opposite problem, that it takes years to break down when in the environment. Ok, still better than most plastics...
Re: Artificial spider silk provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics
#4Looks cool. I wonder how it compares to classic plant fibres like hemp. Also I think "vegan" is a bad tag to add, even if it was done by the journo. I don't want to open that can of soy worm-substitute, but the point of this doesn't seem to be avoiding the use of spiders or anything like that, rather it's just an efficient way to grow a cool material that bears similarities to spider silk.
Yeah, "artificial spider silk" would be better. "Vegan" underlines that no animals are involved in its production, but it should be pretty obvious that using real spider silk for such applications would be prohibitively expensive...
Re: Artificial spider silk provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics
#5Interesting! But when a material is described as "home-compostable", I immediately have to ask myself what stops it from composting while still being used as packaging? OTOH, if they make it stable enough to have a long useful shelf-life, they have the opposite problem, that it takes years to break down when in the environment. Ok, still better than most plastics...
Paper is home-compostable and stable enough for use as packaging. I imagine the key factor is always moisture in such cases.
Re: Artificial spider silk provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics
#6Interesting! But when a material is described as "home-compostable", I immediately have to ask myself what stops it from composting while still being used as packaging? OTOH, if they make it stable enough to have a long useful shelf-life, they have the opposite problem, that it takes years to break down when in the environment. Ok, still better than most plastics...
Likewise, I find that home composting claims for most man made materials are claptrap as they require industrial operations with grind prep and high heat before they actually break down. Think mechanical digestors, not compost piles.
Re: Artificial spider silk provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics
#7Interesting! But when a material is described as "home-compostable", I immediately have to ask myself what stops it from composting while still being used as packaging? OTOH, if they make it stable enough to have a long useful shelf-life, they have the opposite problem, that it takes years to break down when in the environment. Ok, still better than most plastics...
In composting there are heat, humidity and lots of organisms. If stored dry it probably does not fall apart as fast.
Re: Artificial spider silk provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics
#8Interesting! But when a material is described as "home-compostable", I immediately have to ask myself what stops it from composting while still being used as packaging? OTOH, if they make it stable enough to have a long useful shelf-life, they have the opposite problem, that it takes years to break down when in the environment. Ok, still better than most plastics...
The same things that allow twigs and leaves to last much longer when not being composted.
Re: Artificial spider silk provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics
#9Looks cool. I wonder how it compares to classic plant fibres like hemp. Also I think "vegan" is a bad tag to add, even if it was done by the journo. I don't want to open that can of soy worm-substitute, but the point of this doesn't seem to be avoiding the use of spiders or anything like that, rather it's just an efficient way to grow a cool material that bears similarities to spider silk.
Probably marketing nonsense, like "vegan leather" ... polyurethane just doesn't sound as sexy or as "eco conscious".
Re: Artificial spider silk provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics
#10Looks cool. I wonder how it compares to classic plant fibres like hemp. Also I think "vegan" is a bad tag to add, even if it was done by the journo. I don't want to open that can of soy worm-substitute, but the point of this doesn't seem to be avoiding the use of spiders or anything like that, rather it's just an efficient way to grow a cool material that bears similarities to spider silk.
Yeah, "artificial spider silk" would be better. "Vegan" underlines that no animals are involved in its production, but it should be pretty obvious that using real spider silk for such applications would be prohibitively expensive...
Do you think it's worth editing the title? Will I step on any metaphorical landmines because the HN community (for example) prefers immutability?