This Edible Water Bubble Could Be The End Of Plastic Bottles!
35 billion plastic water bottles are thrown away every year - in the US alone!
17 million barrels of crude oil are needed to produce that much plastic - which would be enough oil to fuel 1 million cars for a whole year.
We all know that pollution and plastic are bad - but plastic water bottles are a major part of that.
And some countries (like the US) still don't have proper bottle deposit systems!
It's convenient to store water bottles ready for on-the-go, and some countries don't have high quality tap water - but still, plastic bottles desperately needed an alternative!
Now, design students from the skipping rocks lab in London have created world's first "edible water bottle": it's a bio-degredable, edible bubble which can be filled with water or other liquids!
So how does it work!?
The membrane is made of a colorless, tasteless seaweed extract. It can be fully swallowed and digested, and is bio-degradable in a few weeks, similarly to fruit.
Different colors and flavors can be added to the membrane, and of course it could also store other liquids than just water!
The water bubble is not only more eco-friendly than plastic bottles, it's also cheaper to produce:
A ball of ice is being dipped in a solution of specific algae and calcium chloride, which then forms a membrane.
This production process consumes nine times less energy and five times less carbondioxide than the production of regular plastic bottles!
And before consumption, an outer layer can be peeled off of the membrane to make sure that even the outside is completely clean.
Of course if you're not comfortable with eating the membrane, you could always just tear a hole in it and then squeeze the water / liquid into your mouth.
The futuristic concept has raised over $1 Million in funding and the project looks very promising - a patent application has already been filed.
Although the product has been around for a few years already, the water bubbles have only been sold at events like Marathons and Music Festivals yet.
The company is expanding though, they're working on a fully-automated production machine and are constantly improving and experimenting with different sizes and materials.
Fascinating and fun that I can drink my Gin Tonic in this way soon 🙀
https://steemit.com/future/@mammasitta/how-will-we-drink-water-in-the-future-the-edible-blob-replaces-plastic-bottles-and-you-can-eat
Interesting. I thought there was some deja vu at work, but this seems to have been a popular topic on Steemit. Hopefully, this product is just as successful in the marketplace, as I would like to replace my plastic.
https://steemit.com/business/@doitvoluntarily/edible-water-bottles-the-future-of-packaged-water
https://steemit.com/science/@voronoi/edible-water-bubbles-the-end-of-plastic
https://steemit.com/future/@mammasitta/how-will-we-drink-water-in-the-future-the-edible-blob-replaces-plastic-bottles-and-you-can-eat
I didn't know it was this popular on Steemit already, but no wonder - steemit is full of future-oriented and open-minded people!
Yes, I saw 2 of these posts and leaving my same comment here;-)
I share my "suggestion“ to load it up a contraception and feed to the marathon runners. Then I add on the comment after doing a search on youtube and found this:
Hahaha, imagine shooting the bubbles directly into the runner's mouth with this!
That's what came to me mind.
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@planter
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Exactly, I've read that they're really thinking about using this for cocktails / shots as well and creating a whole new market!
absolutely amazing what those kids created:)
My concern is that these bubbles could be a choking hazard for young children. If they put the bubble in their mouth and it is inhaled into the windpipe it will cut off air and suffocate them within a few minutes. Young children may not think to take scissors or another sharp object and put it down their throat to burst the bubble and free up their air passages.
That's true, they definitely shouldn't be given to toddlers without someone watching / explaining it to them. But maybe they'd be too big for a toddler to swallow it in one go anyway.
I'm wondering how many bubbles you would have to eat to stay hydrated.
Good point. I've read that they're purposely keeping the bubbles small so you can drink them with one gulp, so it would have to take quite a few of those bubbles to keep you hydrated for a whole day.
I think it's a great idea... but I have concerns about the hygiene. I understand you consume the envelope; meaning all bacteria, parasites and dirt that goes with it...
I'm hoping if this goes main stream that they'll sell in in different sized glass jars or tubes... But i carry water in a mason jar anyway, so I'd feel weird buying those in a jar lol
I heard about that, but never knew about the seaweed extract.
It seems to be quite odd when you think about it, as most people can't imagine seaweed being color- and tasteless.. but this is science and it seems to work amazingly well!
Very peculiar indeed!
Personally, I enjoy many kinds of seaweed and wish they made some that were not tasteless!
That's awesome! all it needs is a reusable dispenser that can hold about a bottles worth to keep the water bubbles safe and make them easy to transport. Though, I guess the problem there is, if you're doing that you could still just use a water bottle and refill it. Very interested to see what happens with this though.
I think not having a clear lid might get in the way of adoption. It seems a bit of a mess to just tear the bubble open to drink. But I have little doubt there will be solutions developed.
True. In the video you can see one girl drinking from a hole in the bubble, looks like it's spilling a little bit, while others are just putting the whole thing in their mouths and being surprised when it bursts!
How long can they be stored since they bio-degrade? That's about the only negative I can think of. A lot of plastic bottles end up being for long term storage, would we still need the plastic bottles for that?
I do think this idea is cool though and could still be useful for a lot of different drinks that have rapid from production to consumption tome frames.
What if one needs a gallon of water? How should I carry it? Just roll it over the ground? I think it could work in small portions. Good job sirwinchester.
I love the new bubbles... I'm glad we can reduce tons of bottles!!! 🤗👋😊🍂💁🏻💦☔️📖