{"id":46181,"date":"2023-03-27T23:21:30","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T23:21:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/?p=46181"},"modified":"2023-03-27T23:37:12","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T23:37:12","slug":"condoms-from-spinifex-now-thats-a-fraction-too-much-friction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/2023\/03\/27\/condoms-from-spinifex-now-thats-a-fraction-too-much-friction\/","title":{"rendered":"Condoms from spinifex? Now that\u2019s a fraction too much friction \u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Dugalunji\"Dugalunji<\/p>\n

Dugalunji Aboriginal Corporation employees harvest spinifex grass on the outskirts of Camooweal.<\/div>\n
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\"Greenlight\"Greenlight<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The idea of a super-thin condom made from spinifex \u2013 a spiky tussock grass commonly found growing in the desert sands of arid central Australia \u2013 sounds a tad uncomfortable at first blush.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s what emerged<\/a> after a group of nanotechnologists<\/a> started working with Indigenous groups in north-west Queensland to combine ancient Indigenous knowledge with up-to-the-minute technology.<\/p>\n

Now, their innovative efforts are attracting global interest, while also generating jobs for Aboriginal people in harvesting the grass that grows in extremes of temperature, a must-have sustainability tick for the warming climate to come.<\/p>\n

About 190 kilometres north-west of Mt Isa near the small border town of Camooweal is a solar-powered harvesting plant and laboratory.<\/p>\n

A two-day drive from the nearest capital city or university, the lab has a mass spectrometer, CO2<\/sub> extraction plant, ceramic ball-mill, high-pressure homogeniser, 80 staff and, literally, tonnes of spinifex.<\/p>\n

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A stone tool made using spinifex resin as an adhesive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Spinifex<\/a>, or Triodia<\/em> is an Australian tussock grass known as tjanpi (grass) in central Australia where it has several traditional uses among Aboriginal groups.<\/p>\n

Working in partnership with Camooweal traditional owners, scientists from the University of<\/p>\n

Queensland\u2019s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology<\/a> (AIBN) have developed a method of extracting nanofibres from spinifex.<\/p>\n

They are proposing to process the native spinifex grass into commercial applications, including super-strong roads and tyres, and as an additive in latex products such as ultra-thin condoms and surgical gloves.<\/p>\n

The Indjalandji-Dhidhanu <\/a>people are traditional owners of Camooweal and have occupied the lands around the tiny town for an extended period.<\/p>\n

Their people are steeped in harvesting practices of the spinifex and signed a collaborative research agreement with AIBN in 2014.<\/p>\n

Indjalandji-Dhidhanu man and director of the Dugalunji Aboriginal Corporation, Colin Saltmere, says spinifex is a sacred material to Indigenous people.<\/p>\n

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\"Indjalandji-dhidhanu\"Indjalandji-dhidhanu
Colin Saltmere says spinifex was a building block for Aboriginal communities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cBut also a material we use all the time,\u201d Saltmere says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve used it for building shelters, making beds, and as a glue in making instruments like spears and boomerangs. And we know that the oils and the waxes can be used to treat wounds and in other medicines.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn Aboriginal culture, a product like that becomes a sacred thing. It belongs to country, and to us that\u2019s what \u2018sacred\u2019 means.\u201d<\/p>\n

Led by AIBN\u2019s Professor Darren Martin with Dr Nasim Amiralian and Dr Pratheep Annamalai, the early research found that the nanofibres from spinifex improved the physical properties of latex.<\/p>\n

And that means making condoms \u201cas thin as a human hair without any loss in strength\u201d, might just be possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nanofibres that we can extract are long, thin and stretchy,\u201d says Martin. \u201cOnly a few nanometres wide but thousands of nanometres in length.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a materials scientist, this is exactly what we look for when we want to reinforce flexible materials.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can make a stronger and thinner membrane that is supple and flexible, which is the holy grail for natural rubber.\u201d<\/p>\n

The latex formulation was tested in 2015 with promising results.<\/p>\n

AIBN director Dr Alan Rowan now says spinifex can survive in temperatures up to 60\u00b0C and puts down roots to 30 metres below ground to find water.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe grass produces a resin (that) can form a very strong bond when used as glue and which, once melted and solidified again, forms a polymer that resembles Bakelite<\/a>,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Traditional knowledge is used only via agreement with the knowledge custodians, a requirement of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Myuma Group are a forerunner in such agreements, having helped reform the Queensland Biodiscovery Act in 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor thousands of years, spinifex was a building block for the Aboriginal societies in the desert,\u201d says Saltmere, also an adjunct researcher at UQ.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow it will continue to play a role in advancing local Aboriginal communities through business and employment opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Glenn Morrison<\/h3>\n

Dr Glenn Morrison is an award-winning journalist, researcher, and author who has written of Australia\u2019s Centre and North for more than 25 years. A former newspaper editor, he has degrees in Science, Engineering and a PhD in media and cultural studies, and has lectured at several universities. As an adjunct senior research fellow at Charles Darwin University\u2019s Northern Institute he is general editor of Borderlands, a literary journal of the Northern Territory. Glenn has written two books about the Red Centre and lives at Alice Springs.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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There\u2019s never been a more important time to explain the facts, cherish evidence-based knowledge and to showcase the latest scientific, technological and engineering breakthroughs. Cosmos is published by The Royal Institution of Australia, a charity dedicated to connecting people with the world of science. Financial contributions, however big or small, help us provide access to trusted science information at a time when the world needs it most. Please support us by making a donation or purchasing a subscription today.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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