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Scientific American Top 10 Emerging Technologies – One day soon, an emerging technology highlighted in this report will allow you to virtually teleport to distant sites and experience the handshakes and hugs of fellow cyber travelers. On the verge of becoming commonplace: humanoid (and animaloid) robots designed to interact with humans; A system to identify the source of food-poisoning outbreaks in seconds; tiny lenses that will pave the way for tiny cameras and other devices; strong, biodegradable plastics that can be made from otherwise useless plant waste; DNA-based data storage systems that will reliably store large amounts of information; and more
In conjunction with the World Economic Forum, Scientific American convened an international steering group of leading technology experts engaged in an intensive process to identify this year’s “Top 10 Emerging Technologies.” After soliciting nominations from additional experts around the world, the steering group evaluated dozens of proposals according to several criteria: Do the proposed technologies have the potential to provide major benefits to society and the economy? Can they change the established way of doing things? Are they still in the early stages of development but attracting a lot of interest from research labs, companies or investors? Could they make significant inroads in the next few years? The group asked for more information where needed and honed the list in four virtual meetings.
Scientific American Top 10 Emerging Technologies
Bioplastics can solve a major pollution problem
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Our civilization is built on plastic. According to the World Economic Forum, in 2014 alone, the industry produced 311 million metric tons, which is expected to triple by 2050. Yet less than 15 percent of this is recycled. Most of the rest is burned, sits in landfills, or is released into the environment–where, resistant to microbial digestion, it can persist for hundreds of years. Plastic debris in the oceans causes all kinds of problems, from killing wildlife to releasing toxic compounds when accidentally ingested. It can even enter our body through contaminated fish.
Biodegradable plastics can ease these problems, contributing to the goal of a “circular” plastic economy where plastics are produced from and converted back into biomass. Like standard plastics derived from petrochemicals, biodegradable versions contain polymers (long-chain molecules) that can be formed into different forms in their liquid state. Currently available alternatives – mostly made from corn, sugar cane, or waste fats and oils – generally lack mechanical strength and visual properties of standard types. Recent breakthroughs in making plastics from cellulose or lignin (the dry matter of plants) promise to overcome those drawbacks. As an added boon to the environment, cellulose and lignin can be obtained from non-edible plants such as giant cane growing on marginal land not suitable for food crops, or from waste wood and agricultural by-products that would otherwise serve no purpose.
Cellulose, the most abundant organic polymer on Earth, is a major component of plant cell walls; Lignin fills the gaps in those walls, providing strength and rigidity. To make plastics from these substances, manufacturers must first break them down into building blocks, or monomers. Investigators recently found ways to do this for both substances. The function of lignin is particularly important because lignin monomers are composed of aromatic rings—the chemical structures that give some standard plastics their mechanical strength and other desirable properties. Lignin is insoluble in most solvents, but investigators have shown that some environmentally friendly ionic liquids (which are composed primarily of ions) can selectively separate it from wood and woody plants. Genetically engineered enzymes similar to fungi and bacteria can break down dissolved lignin into its components.
Organizations are building on these findings. For example, Imperial College London spin-off Chrysalix Technologies has developed a process that uses low-cost ionic liquids to separate cellulose and lignin from starting materials. A Finnish biotechnology company, MetGen Oy, produces several genetically engineered enzymes that break down lignin from different sources into components needed for a wide range of applications. And Mobius (formerly Grow Bioplastics) is developing lignin-based plastic pellets for use in biodegradable flower pots, agricultural mulch and other products.
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Many hurdles must be overcome before new plastics can be widely used. One is cost. Another is reducing the amount of land and water used to produce them – even if the lignin comes only from waste, water is needed to convert it into plastic. As with any major challenge, solutions will require a combination of measures, from regulations to voluntary changes in the way society uses and disposes of plastics. Nevertheless, emerging methods of making biodegradable plastics provide a perfect example of how green solvents and more effective biocatalysts can contribute to creating a circular economy in a major industry.
About the author(s) Javier García Martínez Javier García Martínez is a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Director of the Molecular Nanotechnology Laboratory at the University of Alicante, Spain. He is a co-founder of Reeve Technologies, a member of the Executive Committee of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum and part of the Forum’s Expert Network. His books include Nanotechnology for the Energy Challenge and The Chemical Elements: Chemistry’s Contribution to Our Global Future.
Improved food tracking and packaging will save lives and cut waste The combination of the two technologies can greatly improve food safety
According to the World Health Organization, about 600 million people suffer from food poisoning every year and 420,000 die. When an outbreak occurs, investigators can spend days or weeks tracking down its source. Meanwhile more people may get sick, and large amounts of contaminated food may be thrown away with contaminated items. Tracing the source can be a slow process because food travels a complex path from farm to table, and records of that journey are kept in local systems that often don’t communicate with each other.
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Together, a pair of technologies can reduce both food poisoning and food waste. First, an innovative application of blockchain technology (better known for managing virtual currencies), has begun to solve the traceability problem. Enhanced food packaging, meanwhile, is providing new ways to determine whether foods have been stored at the correct temperature and whether they have begun to spoil.
Blockchain is a decentralized accounting system in which entries are recorded sequentially on multiple identical “ledgers” stored on computers in multiple locations. This redundancy makes tampering with any one ledger futile, creating a highly reliable record of transactions. A blockchain-based cloud platform developed for the food industry – IBM Food Trust – is already employed by major food vendors. (One of us–Myerson–is associated with IBM.)
By bringing together producers, distributors and retailers on a common blockchain, Food Trust creates a trusted record of the path of food delivered through the end-to-end supply chain. In a test using the technology, Walmart traced the origin of a “contaminated” item within seconds; With the standard mix of written and digital records, this would have taken much longer. With this capability, retailers and restaurants can remove a contaminated item from circulation virtually immediately and destroy only stock from the same source (say, a specific grower of romaine lettuce) rather than destroying the entire national stock of the item. Many food-business giants–Walmart, Carrefour, Sam’s Club, Albertsons Company, Smithfield Foods, BeefChain, Wakefern Foods (parent of ShopRite) and Topco Associates (a group purchasing company)–have joined IBM Food Trust. Other companies have also introduced blockchain technology to enhance traceability.
To prevent food poisoning in the first place, research laboratories and companies are developing small sensors that can monitor food quality and safety on pallets, cases or individually wrapped products. For example, TimeStrip UK and Vitsub International have independently developed sensor tags that change color if a product is exposed to the temperatures recommended above, and Insignia Technologies sells a sensor that slowly changes color after a package is opened and indicates when it’s time. Come to toss food. (The color changes more quickly if the product is not stored at the right temperature.) Sensors that detect the gaseous byproducts of spoilage are also being developed. Beyond preventing illness, such sensors could reduce waste by showing that food is safe to eat.
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Cost remains an obstacle for the ubiquitous use of sensors. Nevertheless, the food industry’s need to ensure food safety and limit waste is driving this technology and blockchain forward.
About the author(s) Rona Chandravati Rona Chandravati is a Senior Lecturer and Head of Nanotechnology at the Food and Medicine Laboratory at the University of New South Wales, Australia. His research focuses on the development of colorimetric nanosensors for disease diagnosis, food safety and environmental monitoring. He was a Young Scientist at the 2018 World Economic Forum and is in the Forum’s Expert Network. He also served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biotechnology. Bernard S. Meyerson Bernard S. Meyerson, vice chair of the steering group, is IBM’s chief innovation officer emeritus. He is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering and the recipient of numerous awards for work spanning physics, engineering and business. He was the chair from 2014-2016
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