Insert "Big-Blue-Slash-Green" Pun Here: IBM has
developed a
process that
enables its manufacturing facilities to repurpose scrap
semiconductor wafers for reuse by other industries. The
silicon in the wafers is in high demand, especially by the
solar cell industry, which uses the material to make solar
panels.
The aforelinked PCWorld article notes that silicon
wafers need to be basically flawless in order to be used
in computers, mobile phones and other consumer
electronics. The imperfect ones are normally erased with
acidic chemicals and discarded.
Up to this point, IBM had been sandblasting its flawed
wafers to remove proprietary material. But now the company
will start using its new process to clean the silicon
pieces, basically using water and an abrasive pad, which
leaves them in better condition for reuse.
IBMīs new process takes only about a minute to clean an
8-inch wafer, PCWorld reports.
Glow To Go: A new company, ShotPak Inc., has
created an eponymous
product that it
describes as "a new and innovative concept in alcohol
packaging."
The ShotPak consists of a soft portable pouch
containing a single-serving shot of alcohol or a
ready-to-drink mixed cocktail. The company notes that its
product eliminates the need to carry bottles and bar tools
when one heads out for a night on the town. (I know, I
hear you: "But I ENJOY toting cocktail shakers,
jiggers, corkscrews, and paring knives around with me
everywhere I go ...")
"When full," the company says, "the ShotPak is lighter
than a 50-ml airplane bottle and more convenient to carry.
... The ShotPak was developed to target people who are
engaged in an active lifestyle and are on the go."
Thatīs all well and good, I guess. But to me this
sounds simply like a nifty way to squirrel some booze
around in your pocket.
Not that thereīs anything wrong with that, as Seinfeld
used to say.
Pete Fehrenbach is
managing editor of Waste News. Past installments of this
column are collected in
the Inbox archive.
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http://www.wastenews.com
