June 11, 2014 by Arezu Sarvestani
The waste from breweries may have surprising applications in bone implants, grafts and other orthopedic devices.
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — A team of researchers is working out a new way to turn the brewery waste into orthopedic devices, leveraging substances naturally found in spent grain for bone grafts and implants, Medgadget reports.
Researchers said that a cheaply acquired residue from beer brewing, called bagasse, contains chemical components that are also found in bones, including phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and silica. Once processed, those substances can be used to promote bone regeneration or provide support, or even as bio-coating for medical prosthetics.
