Researchers from the University of Alicante in Spain are attempting to turn agricultural waste into car parts.

Using compounds extracted from lemons, broccoli, pomegranate and almond shells, the research team, led by M. Carmen Garrigós, Ph.D. in chemical sciences at the university, demonstrated that as additives, the agricultural waste could impart certain previously unavailable properties to automobiles while simultaneously finding a new use for agricultural waste.

To demonstrate, the team added extracted compounds from lemon, pomegranate, broccoli and almond shells to a polymer and then 3D printed car parts with new properties. For instance, pomegranate, lemon and broccoli offered a range of new colors to car parts not previously available from a range of synthetic colors. Likewise, the researchers determined that lemon could be used in the making of door handles and dashboards with antimicrobial and fragrance-releasing properties. Meanwhile, almond shell extract was found to fortify parts while offering them a wood-like aesthetic.

The work is ongoing as a component of the European Barbara Project where researchers are attempting to develop bio-based materials appropriate for 3D printing applications.

Other initiatives designed to find alternative uses for food waste are being attempted all over the world. A research team from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand has devised a new technique for turning food waste into chemical components that could potentially be used as the building blocks for making bioplastics. Similarly, researchers at Cornell University are attempting to turn food waste into green energy while it has been recently discovered that grape waste is a proven roadway deicer. Meanwhile, biotechnologists from Samara State Technical University devised a method for turning apples into single-use dishware.