MIT creates a new sensor that could reduce food waste
06/08/2020
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has created a new sensor that could help reduce or eliminate food waste.
It is a sensor that detects concentrations of ethylene, even as low as 15 parts per billion.
A palladium catalyst is incorporated into the sensor to the carbon nanotubes, so that ethylene, when attached to palladium, increases the electrical conductivity of the sensor. It is also a reversible process when ethylene disappears.
The sensor could thus monitor the state of fruits and vegetables when they are shipped and stored, helping to reduce food waste. The patent application has already been filed. |