First there was the Diva Cup. Then came the sea pearl. So what’s next for sustainable menstrual solutions? Jellyfish! Uncross your legs, ladies, and get this: Scientists broke down jellyfish flesh and used nanoparticles (for antibacterial purposes) to create a highly absorbent, biodegradable material called “Hydromash.”
According to Capital Nano, a company raising funds for the product:
The Hydromash absorbs more than several times its volume and biodegrades in less than 30 days (faster than any other bio-degradable products such as bio-degradable diapers made out of pulp.)
Take that, Playtex! Hydromash has the potential to be used for almost anything that you use absorbent paper products for — sponges, paper towels, and even diapers.
Here are two reasons why we hope Hydromash makes it to the mass market.
First, diapers have a lousy reputation for clogging up landfills: The EPA estimates that about 20 billion disposable diapers are dumped in landfills every year, accounting for more than 3.5 million tons of waste.
Second, as ocean temperatures warm due to climate change, jellyfish have become the scourge of the seas, invading the waters faster than a San Francisco tech firm can fill up apartments in the Mission District.
So, for those facts alone, we’re willing to consider getting jellyfish near our tender bits. Cine’al, the company behind Hydromash, is currently in talks with potential partners in South Korea and South Carolina to open up manufacturing facilities near jellyfish collection sites.