According to the proponents of the Hair Recycle project, human hair is infinitely recyclable, absorbent and ultra-resistant
RH Desk
December 31
A Non-Government Organization (NGO) in Belgium is using the clipped human hair to produce matted squares that can absorb oil or act as filters to soak up pollutants. Once processed through a machine, the human hair can also be transformed into bio-composite bags.
According to the proponents of the Hair Recycle project, human hair is infinitely recyclable, absorbent and ultra-resistant.
“A hair has been shown to be able to support 10 million times its own weight!” reads the website of the project detailing the key characteristics of hair.
“Lipophilic, the hair absorbs fat, but also oil and hydrocarbons (1 kg of hair can absorb up to 8 liters of oil),” reads the other characteristic.
Project Co-founder Patrick Janssen said the matted squares processed out of human hair can be installed in drains to filter out pollution in water before it reaches a river. Besides its absorbing capacity, the hair is highly elastic due to keratin, a protein that gives it strength.
“Our products are all the more ethical as they are manufactured locally … they are not imported from the other side of the planet,” Janssen told Reuters. “They are made here to deal with local problems.”
