Plant products make magazine’s best inventions list

Plant-related products were a part of Time’s 50 Best Inventions of 2009. Vertical farming ranked 16th on the list. Valcent, a company based in El Paso, Texas, has developed a hydroponic growing system that produces plants in rotating rows, one on top of the other. Rotating the plants ensures that they receive an adequate amount of light and nutrients. The vertical stacked rows reduce the amount of water needed. The system conserves space and increases food production.

Dandelion rubber comes in at 29th on Time’s Best Inventions list. Researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology in Germany have studied Russian dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz) as an alternative to rubber trees, which are being attacked by a fast-spreading fungus. Dandelion sap contains latex, but is difficult to harvest the sap because it polymerizes when it hits the air. By switching off an enzyme, the researchers were able to develop a dandelion that produces 500% more usable latex.

The Athenaeum Hotel in London is home to the Living Wall. No. 31 on Time’s Best Inventions list, it is the creation of Patrick Blanc, who specializes in vertical gardens. The hotel’s wall consists of more than 12,000 plants attached to an 8-story frame covered with synthetic felt into which the roots can attach themselves.

We reported on Time’s 40th selection, the Living Car in the May 18, GMPRO greEn-MAIL. Researchers at Warwick Univ. in Coventry, U.K., have built a competitive racing car using sustainable components to show the racing industry what is capable regarding current environmentally sustainable technologies. The WorldFirst Formula 3 racing car was designed and built to meet all Formula 3 standards except for its biodiesel engine, which is configured to run on fuel from waste chocolate and vegetable oil. Components of the car made from plants include a race specification steering wheel derived from carrots and other root vegetables, a flax fiber and soybean oil racing seat, a woven flax fiber bib and plant oil based lubricants.