Sound-powered heat pumps and cow-free dairy: The best green innovations of April 2023

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We know that radical changes to food systems will be needed in the decades to come, and a key focus will be on the fact that 30-40% of all food currently produced goes to waste. Our first innovation this month is to address a well-known scourge among growers around the world, which leads to food being wasted before it’s even harvested: powdery mildew. Using ultraviolet light and autonomous robots, a Norwegian startup is tackling this common fungal infection without using harmful chemicals.

But if we really want to shift the dial on sustainable food production, we need to do more than make traditional agricultural models more efficient, we need entirely new ways of producing food. And our second and third innovations this month are the production of ingredients using completely new processes. Zero Cow Factory, as the name suggests, produces products that replicate dairy products without the animals, while MicroHarvest harnesses microbes to produce protein in highly efficient, decentralized factories.

Not only do food and drinks have their environmental footprint, but their packaging also causes problems. A Spanish company, our fourth innovator this month, has therefore developed a countertop device that makes it easier to recycle notoriously complicated coffee pods.

Elsewhere, our latest two innovations focus on the home. The first is a service that helps people build their own homes using cross-laminated timber. And these homes could be equipped with our ultimate technology, a new type of heat pump that uses sound energy.

Read on for our monthly green innovation briefing for April 2023.

Robots that fight fruit and vegetable waste

Powdery mildew is a fungal infection of the foliage, stems and fruit of plants. It results in a characteristic powdery coating and among the species affected are crops such as strawberries and vines. These fungal attacks can be a costly headache for growers, but now Norwegian startup Saga Robotics is tackling the problem with robots and UV light.

Called Thorvald, the company’s robots look like a mobile airport metal detector that moves up and down each row of plants. Each emits a powerful UV-C light on plants, protecting them from powdery mildew safely, without the use of chemicals. UV-C light, a high-energy wavelength in the ultraviolet range, is known to be an effective disinfectant and is used in a wide variety of applications.

There are three different models of the Thorvald system tailored for use in polytunnels, open fields and vineyards, and the company is currently focused on strawberries and vines although its technology could theoretically be used on other plants.

The system is autonomous and can be adapted to different terrains. The robots have a modular design so they can be quickly customized for different applications, and this modularity also means that the company can design ancillary tools such as strawberry pickers and lawn mowers, which can be added as needed.

Dairy products without cow

The dairy industry accounts for approximately 3.5% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. While the impact of dairy products is increasingly recognised, many are putting off switching to vegan substitutes because of the taste. Now, Zero Cow Factory is producing India’s first animal-free dairy that mimics the taste, texture, nutritional profile and appearance of cow’s milk protein.

The company has developed a patented technology that uses bioengineering of microbes and precision fermentation to produce dairy proteins, such as casein and whey, without animals. The Zero Cow Factorys method is much more environmentally friendly than traditional dairy production, requiring 99% less land and 98% less water, emitting 84% less CO2 and consuming 65% less energy.

Zero Cows’ first product is an A2 beta-casein, a protein found in regular dairy products, along with A1 beta-casein. The latter protein is believed to have links to diabetes, heart disease and digestive problems. Using only A2 beta-casein, Zero Cows Smart Protein is therefore a healthier alternative to cow’s milk and does not contain antibiotics, growth hormones, cholesterol or saturated fat. The protein is also lactose-free, making it suitable for lactose intolerant individuals.

Microbe-based protein-rich ingredients

The world recently passed a symbolic milestone when it reached a population of eight billion, but we are still some distance from what demographers expect to be the peak population. According to the United Nations, there could be up to 10.4 billion people on earth by the mid-2080s before the population starts to decline again. Sustainable production of protein for this growing population is one of the key food production challenges of the 21st century.

Thankfully, startup MicroHarvest has a solution: making proteins from microbes. While the idea of ​​eating microorganisms might make us picky, microbes have been used in foods for centuries, from cheese to kefir to yogurt to kimchi. All MicroHarvest has done is leverage this existing protein source by developing microbe-powered technology to produce protein- and nutrient-rich ingredients. And the real story? This process takes up a tiny fraction of the land and water needed to grow crops or raise animals.

The company’s ingredients are grown in tanks that can be located anywhere in the world and operate 365 days a year. And it takes just 24 hours to convert the raw materials (the bacterial strain and a growth medium) into a final protein product, a much faster production rate than existing technologies.

Having secured Series A funding in September of last year, MicroHarvest has plans to build a pilot plant in Lisbon, Portugal. It will also strengthen its research and development team to accelerate the commercialization of its technology.

A platform for the recycling of coffee capsules

An increasing number of people are using coffee pods at home and at work. While convenient, the problem with these capsules is that very few are recycled, with leading coffee brand Nespresso estimating that only 30% of its consumers recycle pods.

One of the main obstacles in recycling coffee capsules is the grounds that remain in the pod after they have been used. Spanish company Recycap is making it easier for home users to recycle both the capsules themselves and leftover grounds with its React (Recycap Automated Coffee Technology) recycling device. The used pods are thrown into the device which then automatically cleans the pods and separates the two materials for easier and more sustainable disposal.

Funds can be collected for composting and clean capsules become easier to recycle in standard facilities. By eliminating the need for recycling facilities to separate organic waste from metal, the React device could prevent billions of recyclables from ending up in landfills or being incinerated.

The React device has the ability to recycle up to 600 capsules per hour, making the technology cost-effective for large office buildings and in high-traffic public spaces, such as grocery stores and convenience stores. Recycap has also created a coffee maker with built-in recycling technology, so users can minimize the number of appliances they have on their countertops.

Custom wooden houses

Given the carbon footprint of building materials, cross-laminated timber (CLT) is emerging as a low-carbon alternative for both domestic and commercial developments.

Finnish building technology company Asumma aims to streamline the entire process of building a cross-laminated house by providing a concierge-like support service for new builds. The company provides custom homes.

In addition to CLT walls, floors, roofs and supports, Asumma houses include wood fiber insulation and an airtight structure incorporating natural and mechanical ventilation for the highest quality indoor air without allowing moisture or mold to enter in home. The modular and bespoke designs significantly reduce construction time, and all wood comes from responsibly managed Finnish forests.

Asumma provides buyers with seven different homes to use as a starting point for their construction, and the company’s design team helps ensure the layout and location of the home fits the terrain best. Homeowners then get a completely bespoke design, selecting numbers and locations of additional rooms and detached structures, as well as custom additions such as heat pumps and solar panels for off-grid living.

Heat pumps that exploit sound energy

The International Energy Agency (IEA) calls heat pumps the central technology in the global transition to safe and sustainable heating. While they tend to have higher upfront costs than other heating options, their low emissions and high efficiency rates are driving sales to record highs. Now, a new type of heat pump uses thermoacoustic power that transforms sound wave energy into heat or cold.

Equiums Acoustic Heat Pump compresses or expands high power sound waves to produce the desired temperature. The action requires very little power, and as the sound waves expand and contract, the motion produced is similar to that of a piston in a traditional engine, but without the moving mechanical parts. Heat pumps can be used in most temperatures and climates.

The devices themselves are made from 100% recyclable materials and are designed for extremely low maintenance, with an expected product life of up to 30 years. They are also easy for homeowners to install without requiring advanced technical skills. The elimination of greenhouse gas refrigerants combined with minimal maintenance requirements contribute to the efficiency of the new pumps, which further reduces investment costs in the long term.

Springwise is the global innovation intelligence platform for positive and sustainable change. With a growing database of over 11,000 innovations, we’re the one stop shop for innovation that matters. Springwise.com.

Published on April 28, 2023

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