Christmas Tree Reuse

The last seasonal item from the holidays comes from a team of researchers  in Allahabad, India that are in the process of developing a compound derived from the needles of the Douglas fir to help coat nano medical devices and combat infection.

One of the largest hurdles for biomedical devices is that bacteria invade implant sites, prosthetics, and tissues. The bionanocomposite from the Douglas fir could potentially cover implants and ward off microbial growth. Combining an extract from from the Douglas fir needles with silver nitrate solution, the team has created silver nanoparticles that can make a coating. The needle extract serves as a natural chemical reducing agent that converts silver ions in the nitrate solution into tiny nanoscopic silver metal particles