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Sweets from the Christmas tree

01.01.2019

The needles of Christmas trees, and indeed any other, trees consist of hundreds of thousands of needles, which decompose in much the same way as other tree leaves. When they rot, they release huge amounts of greenhouse gases. Scientists from the University of Sheffield have discovered that more useful substances can be obtained from decomposition products.

The main component (up to 85 percent) resulting from the decomposition of needles is a complex polymer known as lignocellulose. Its complexity makes the use of needles as a raw material unattractive for modern industry.

The research that has been done has revealed an industrially viable way to break down this complex structure into simpler substances such as sugars and phenols. With the help of heat and solvents such as glycerin, which is cheap and environmentally friendly, spruce needles are decomposed into a liquid product (bio oil) and a solid by-product (biochar).

Bio oil usually contains glucose, acetic acid and phenol. These chemicals are used in many industries - glucose in food sweeteners, acetic acid in paint, glue, and even vinegar.

The process is waste-free as the solid by-product can also be useful in other industrial chemical processes. You can use both fresh and old, abandoned Christmas trees.

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Bioelectronic mini-laboratory 23.02.2014

The new portable laboratory was the brainchild of scientists from the Institute of Micro and Information Technologies in the German city of Freiburg. It delivers results faster than a traditional lab at a lower cost.

Physicist Daniel Mark explained how it works: "The doctor takes a sample from the patient and loads it into the device. After two hours, the doctor is informed which pathogens are found in the sample and can prescribe treatment."

The principle of operation of the device is simple - DNA is extracted from a patient's blood sample and analyzed inside a mini-laboratory. If the genetic profile matches a known pathogen, a signal appears on the screen.

The inventors say the mini-lab could be useful in the event of an outbreak of infectious diseases or pandemics, such as scanning passengers at airports. They claim that a mini-lab can be useful for testing food for safety.

"In the future, the problem of food safety will require more and more complex testing. We will need to test many different parameters at the same time. With this new mini-lab, we will be able to standardize this process," said scientist Wolfgang Hauser.

But the mini-lab's potential can best be seen in hospitals, where doctors are often required to make quick decisions in the absence of all the necessary information. The data provided by the mini-lab can help speed up decision making and save lives.

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