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Rethinking age-old agricultural rhythms
Rethinking millennia-old agricultural practices seems inconceivable – but The Land Institute went to work and delivered Kernza I live way out in the country. Transport to and from my abode/office – vehicular and otherwise – often makes me wonder about all kinds of to-me-unfamiliar processes taking place in the fields all around. I’m an avid observer, but with huge depths of agricultural ignorance. Cycles of...
Read moreNatural composites pave the way to new manufacturing mindsets
Biomaterials seem likely to up-end the wonderful world of composites – materials and capabilities ideal for next-gen flex-capability manufacturers using innovative business models in a circular economy The darker side of green I’ve written about composites in other Rethinking posts, and about how they pave the way to structures, shapes and capabilities that wouldn’t otherwise be technically possible, or commercially viable. There’s good reason for...
Read moreThe composite materials conundrum
Using new kinds of composite materials in industry results in complex new kinds of mixed waste – with both problems and opportunities Composite paths to engineered capabilities Carbon fibre and glass fibre-reinforced plastics have enormous advantages in many kinds of structures because of their unique combinations of lightness and exceptional strength. These are just two of a growing category of composite materials that basically...
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