Greener Solutions

Greener Solutions 2023: PVA in Laundry Sheets with ECOS

In partnership with ECOS, this student team examined potential alternatives to PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) in laundry detergent sheets.

Final Presentation

Final Report

Greener Solutions 2023: Safer Alternatives to Flame Retardants in Firefighter Stationwear

In partnership with the International Association of Firefighters, this team examined safer alternatives to halogenated flame retardants used in firefighter stationwear.

Final Presentation

Final Report

Greener Solutions 2023: Safer Foaming Agents For Athletic Shoe Midsoles with Nike

In partnership with Nike, this student team was tasked with identifying safer alternatives to Azodicarbonamide (ADCA) used as a blowing agent to create foams in the midsole of athletic shoes.

Final Presentation Slides

Final Report

Greener Solutions 2022: PFAS-free Fire Fighting Turnout Gear

Students were challenged to identify safer alternatives to the PTFE laminate moisture barrier currently approved by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1971 Standards, which certify firefighter turnout gear. The student team was partnered with the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), a labor union made up of firefighters and scientists, representing firefighters and paramedics in the United States and Canada.

Final Report and...

Greener Solutions 2022: Moisture Barrier for Seaweed-based Poly Mailers

This project focused on identifying potential strategies that Sway, a San Francisco Bay Area startup developing seaweed-based films, could implement to enhance the moisture resistance of their seaweed-based poly mailers, while also maintaining optimal mechanical performance, biodegradability, and compostability.

Final Report Final Presentation Slides...

Greener Solutions 2021: Compostable Adhesive for PLU Stickers

This team was challenged with identifying biodegradable pressure sensitive adhesives for home-compostable price lookup (PLU) stickers. The team’s proposed alternatives include: proteins (gluten, Nb-1R, Arabinogalactan Proteins), polysaccharides (chitosan and carrageenan), biolipids (PHAs, Epoxidized Soybean Oil), and structural adhesives. The breadth of strategies explored provide excellent context, inspiration, and potential alternatives for the future of greener pressure sensitive adhesives....

Greener Solutions 2021: Compostable Packaging for Frozen Kelp

This team partnered with Noble Ocean Farms, a kelp farming startup in Cordova, Alaska, to identify sustainable and biodegradable packaging strategies. Their first strategy completely replaces polyethylene with a bioplastic, which is significantly less persistent in the environment. Their second strategy uses a durable material (i.e. paperboard) in combination with a bioplastic laminate/coating, eliminating traditional plastics completely. And their third strategy combines a bioplastic packaging with a structural material separate from the bioplastic....

Greener Solutions 2021: PFAS in Floor Polishes

This team examined potential alternatives to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in floor polish, in response to recent legislation in Maine requiring the removal of PFAS from “avoidable” use in products sold in the state by 2030. Floor polish is under consideration as one possible product category since nearly every floor polish on the market contains PFAS. The team proposed two biosurfactants as potential alternatives to PFAS in floor polish: rhamnolipids and amino acid surfactants, specifically sodium lauroyl glutamate....

Greener Solutions 2022: Safer Nail Polish Solvents & Formulations

In partnership with the California Dept. of Toxic Substances Control and L’Oreal, this student team was tasked with identifying safer alternatives to previously used “bad actor” chemicals, such as toluene, in nail polish formulations.

Final Report Final Presentation Slides Recording of final...

Greener Solutions 2015: Safer resins for 3D printing with Autodesk

For this challenge, students worked with Autodesk to develop safer and more sustainable resins for 3D printing. The student team assessed the current formulas being used in the industry after being trained briefly in chemistry, toxicology and public health research. Proposed solutions include: replacing the photoinitiator (using curcumin and riboflavin), modifying acrylate-based resins (with triglycerides or chitosan), and using non-acyrlate resins via pH photoinitiation (with calcite or metal ligand complexes). ...