The 2018 edition of the Inventions Exhibition, at Palexpo, hosted 750 exhibitors from 40 countries. Exhibits covered a wide variety of fields but many focused on health, technology and sustainability.
Among the companies proposing solutions to environmental problems, Nami, a Hong Kong based company, exhibited their biodegradable plastic bags. These bags, which are stronger than existing similar products, are made from glycerol extracted from food waste.
Produced by using microbial technology, the plastic bags reduce raw material costs by fifty percent and simultaneously reduce landfills by creating a use for the enormous amount of food waste produced by restaurants.
New energy storage technology
Switzerland exhibited a revolutionary new lithium energy management unit that combines the high energy densities of batteries and the quick charge and discharge rates of supercapacitors. The UNIT5 (U5) can charge and discharge ten times the power of conventional lithium storage batteries.
The U5, without any load resistors, does not suffer from heat or energy loss. Normally, a storage accumulator would have to be at least ten times as big to produce a similar performance. The technology, therefore, offers huge advantages for applications like e-mobility.
Tackling plastic pollution
The Sea Cleaners proved to be a major attraction at the exhibition. The project, launched in 2016, unveiled a model of a ship that could clean the oceans by collecting plastic pollution. "The Manta," equipped with two thousand metres of solar panels, two wind turbines and an advanced automated rigging system (DynaRig), is designated to be completely energy autonomous.
The floating factory would collect, sort and compress into bales the collected plastic. Three collectors, situated between the ships four hulls brings the material on board for sorting. The boat is capable of storing up to two hundred and fifty tonnes of plastic.
Photo credits: 46th International Exhibition of Inventions Press Release & Gary Engelbrecht
