As the next generation of cars rolls off the lines, scientists and innovators are constantly looking for ways to make the automotive industry more sustainable. Often times, that means taking products we're familiar with and using them in new and interesting ways. Here's a couple of food products being re-imagined for use in cars.
1) Mushrooms: A company called Ecovative uses mushrooms as a sturdy packaging material that they hope will replace the use of styrofoam in car parts (in case you don't know, styrofoam never breaks down). The company takes mushroom spores and other waste materials, like oat husks for example, and lets them grow. In a couple of days, the mushrooms grow and the roots form together to create this strong product. The finished product is lightweight, fireproof and waterproof. It also biodegrades in about a month. Check out the side-by-side comparisons of their product to the styrofoam original below.
2) Four Loko: The highly-caffeinated, highly-alcoholic energy drink saw sales go down last year when the FDA and other governmental organizations issued warning letters against its maker. Several states, including New York and Washington, outright banned the drink. So, one Virginia company decided to turn the drink into fuel for cars. After the crackdown began in earnest last November, wholesalers sold cases of Four Loko to MXI Environmental Services. That company distills the alcohol and then sells the fuel, which is blended into gasoline. MXI also recycles the aluminum cans, cardboard packaging, water from the drink, and shipping pallets as well.
Photo via Grist/ The Wisest Wizards
