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Scientists Discover a Way To Get Every Last Drop of Ketchup Out of the Bottle (bbc.com)
Slashdot reader schwit1 quotes a report from BBC: Scientists in Boston have found a way to get every last drop of ketchup out of the bottle. They have developed a coating that makes bottle interiors super slippery. The coating can also be used to make it easier to squeeze out the contents of other containers, such as those holding toothpaste, cosmetics and even glue. The researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) believe that their innovation could dramatically reduce waste. In its manufacture, the container must first be coated on the inside with a rough surface. A very thin layer is then placed over this. And, finally, a liquid is added that fills in any troughs to form a very slippery surface -- like an oily floor. The ketchup hovers on top and just glides out of the bottle. According to Prof Kripa Varanasi, who developed the slippery surface, the technology is completely safe. "The cool thing about it is that because the coating is a composite of solid and liquid, it can be tailored to the product. So for food, we make the coating out of food-based materials and so you can actually eat it."
schwit1 adds: "Pretty slick."
schwit1 adds: "Pretty slick."
It's really nice to see all this Science and Technology used to get a better world! /. article for it!
And a
Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
I bet it gives you cancer.
This news goes back to at least 2012. See http://www.geek.com/geek-pick/mit-creates-superhydrophobic-coating-for-condiment-bottles-1491587/
I'd pay a little more for a ketchup that slides out that easily, not for the positive environmental
effects or the fact that recycling becomes a lot cleaner, those are bonuses; I'd buy them for the aesthetics alone.
A witty
...from the news from five years ago?
http://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/nano-coating-ketchup-bottle-23-05-2012
...that will never work. That would cost more to manufacture, and you would sell less bottles as you would squeeze more out of each. I cannot see how the manufacturers would be interested in that.
It has been doing the rounds since at least 2012. It was news back then. It's not news now.
It can be. If the energy added is less than the energy wasted, then it is good, otherwise it is not.
Rather than working on ways to continue the level of waste we produce, why not make more products refillable? Toothpaste, lotion, ointments, whatever. Instead of putting them in the same old plastic squeeze tubes put them in serine-like tubes than can be opened, cleaned out and refilled. The was a high end toothpaste called Rembrandt that came in an upright bottle that when you push down on it the paste would dispense from the top. The bottle was hard plastic that was made of two parts. It wasn't refillable but it didn't seem like a stretch to make it so. I can see taking the empty container back to the store to be refilled for less then the full price. Reduce and save money.
"According to Prof Kripa Varanasi, who developed the slippery surface, the technology is completely safe."
Generally we don't/shouldn't rely on the creator's word to vouch for the ultimate safely of products, particularly ingested chemicals...
-Styopa
Can it be applied to ceramic surfaces?
because throwing a tablespoon of catsup (or ketchup) away in an almost empty bottle is such a crime and a waste
Some people (like me) whose parents grew up during wartime or similar were brought up to think exactly that. A bit of water in the bottle, shake it up and throw it in when making pasta sauce or similar calms that irrational food wasting guilt by getting the last bit out of a normal bottle.
I think the article is an example of a journalist saying "how can we use this in the home" when asking about a new scientific advance. Applied uses may end up really being something in minerals processing but it's harder for most to relate to that than kitchen stuff.
And this is exactly the point.
Where's the incentive to the manufacturer?
- Adds cost to the manufacturing process
- Decreases sales (due to less waste)
So why would any manufacturer actually use this product?
And don't say that people will pay more for it, they won't. Especially not by enough to compensate for the decreased waste and increased cost.
It would take an absolute marketing genius to find a way to get customers to pay enough extra for this to make it worth it. I just don't see it ever making it to market in pre-packaged products.