Used paper towels are usually thrown away after cleaning up spills or drying surfaces. But a 17-year-old student from California has explored whether discarded food could instead be used to create a biodegradable material for making paper towels.
According to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), Arnav Kodavati’s science project investigates how cellulose recovered from food waste can be transformed into absorbent sheets. The approach combines cellulose-rich fibres with pectin and uses calcium ions to strengthen the resulting material.
