{"id":10708,"date":"2025-11-25T05:00:58","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T06:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/?p=10708"},"modified":"2025-11-28T12:28:49","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T12:28:49","slug":"carbon-cell-makes-plastic-free-alternative-to-polystyrene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/2025\/11\/25\/carbon-cell-makes-plastic-free-alternative-to-polystyrene\/","title":{"rendered":"Carbon Cell makes plastic-free alternative to polystyrene"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Carbon<\/div>\n

British company Carbon Cell has used agricultural waste to make a carbon-negative<\/a> and compostable<\/a> alternative to polystyrene<\/a> packaging and building insulation that avoids contributing to plastic pollution.<\/span><\/p>\n

Currently nearing production, Carbon Cell<\/a>‘s self-titled product is a protective and insulating lightweight rigid foam that’s entirely plastic free.<\/p>\n

Looking almost identical to expanded polystyrene but in a moody black colour, the foam was made from biochar \u2013 the blackened remnants of biomass, in this case crop waste, that is created when it is heated through pyrolysis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Carbon Cell is a bio-based alternative to expanded polystyrene that can be moulded into shapes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This biochar is not only a renewable natural material, unlike the fossil fuels that form the basis of typical closed-cell foams, but it sequesters a good deal of carbon and continues to do so even after Carbon Cell is returned to the earth.<\/p>\n

For every kilogram of Carbon Cell foam created, the company estimates two kilograms of carbon are removed from the atmosphere, turning a product category that is currently highly polluting into one that helps restore the environment.<\/p>\n

A shortlisted candidate for Material Innovation in the Dezeen Awards 2025<\/a>, Carbon Cell foam was invented by scientist Elizabeth Lee, engineer Eden Harrison and designer Ori Blich while they were studying at UK schools the Imperial College of London and Royal College of Art.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Its main potential use is in packaging and building insulation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There, they became intrigued by the technical properties of biochar, including that it is lightweight, porous, insulative, adds strength and buffers moisture \u2013 just like expanded polystyrene.<\/p>\n

To get it to a similar state, they followed a comparable production process, first mixing the biochar with bio-based polymers to make small, hard pellets and then heating them to make them expand like popcorn into a foam cell structure.<\/p>\n

This is done using the existing expansion equipment for polystyrene and the foam can similarly be moulded into various shapes.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
The foam is expanded from pellets. Photo courtesy of Morrama<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the end of life, the natural polymer in Carbon Cell degrades in home composting conditions, leaving behind only the biochar, which keeps the carbon within sequestered for generations while enriching the soil.<\/p>\n

Carbon Cell plans to start production in December on products for its first pilot projects and hopes to rapidly scale up in order to reduce the market for expanded polystyrene.<\/p>\n