Latest news with #coffeegrounds
BreakingNews.ie
13-05-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Research shows how used coffee grounds help cancer treatement
According to new research from Dublin City University, leftover coffee grounds have the potential to deliver anti-cancer drugs to the body. The study, published in the journal Nanoscale, took used coffee grounds and generated tiny 'carbon dots' from them, using relatively gentle chemical processes. Advertisement The scientists then explored their properties, finding signs that these materials could hold promise for future biomedical applications, including drug delivery. To carry out the study, the team used two widely available brands of coffee and treated the spent coffee grounds to create carbon dots. The team then analysed the resulting carbon dots using spectroscopy and microscopy, confirming their high quality and uniformity. 'Cancer treatment is advancing all the time, but challenges still remain, including the side-effects of chemotherapy,' explains Prof. Silvia Giordani, whose lab at DCU School of Chemical Sciences led the research. Advertisement 'This is where we believe that nanomedicine, or using tiny nanoparticles such as carbon dots, could help improve treatment effectiveness and potentially reduce side-effects for patients.' 'There was nothing special about the coffee we used, we just went out and bought it off the shelves in shops in Dublin. 'We were pleased to see that we could upcycle the used coffee grounds into these carbon dots, which hold great potential for many different applications, including drug delivery in the body. 'Treating coffee leftovers in this low-cost way eliminates the need for highly toxic heavy metals and reduces energy-intensive reaction times, and it offers a sustainable route to landfill disposal, helping to reduce environmental harm.'
The Sun
13-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
I'm a lawn expert -my £1 hack will have your grass looking lush in no time, you probably already have it in the cupboard
A LAWN expert has revealed a £1 hack to make your grass green and lush this spring. With temperatures remaining high this week, after a scorching weekend, many of us likely plan to spend time relaxing in the garden. 1 However, if you're planning on having any guests over for barbecues or garden parties, you may want to give your lawn a bit of a spruce up. And although you may think that keeping your lawn in tip-top condition will cost a bomb, experts at Gardening Known How revealed that you can make your lawn the envy of your neighbours by using a common item found in the kitchen cupboard. The experts explained that coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, which is essential for healthy plant growth and the overall health of your lawn. Coffee grounds can also improve soil structure by making it looser and more aerated, which is good for root growth. The experts explained: "It isn't the caffeine that stimulates healthy grass growth, but rather the nitrogen, phosphorus, and trace minerals that coffee grounds contain. "These nutrients are released slowly, which is a big benefit over quick-release synthetic fertilisers." "The nutrients in coffee grounds are slowly broken down, allowing the turf to have a longer period of time to absorb them ensuring stronger turf for longer." Lilydale Instant Lawns added: "Coffee grounds are an excellent, eco-friendly way to give your lawn a nutrient boost. "They are rich in nitrogen, which is a crucial element for grass growth. Applying coffee grounds to your lawn is straightforward, but it's important to do it correctly to avoid any potential issues." To use coffee grounds on your lawn, simply make sure they're dry and then sprinkle them across the grass. The four easy steps to get your tired lawn lush for summer & you don't need to worry about pigeons ruining it either Make sure to sprinkle them evenly, to avoid clumping, and then gently rake them into the soil. Coffee grounds are super cheap, and can be picked up from the supermarket for as little as £1, making this hack perfect for penny pinchers. They can also be used as a great natural deterrent to get rid of pests. Slugs and snails hate the gritty texture of coffee, so if you spread it near plants, they will stay away. What's more, they can also suppress the growth of weeds in your garden, making them a useful and versatile product. Ivana Agustina, Head of Project Management at ShrubHub recently revealed another simple trick you can use to improve the health of your lawn - and it's completely free. The expert revealed that instead of throwing grass clippings away after you finish mowing, you should leave them on the grass. "One of the simplest tricks is to leave your grass clippings after mowing," she told Fabulous. "They break down fast and act as a natural fertiliser, giving your lawn a nutrient boost without costing a penny.' Not only is this hack cost-effective, it will also save you time too, so you can spend more time relaxing in the sun.
The Sun
07-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Lavender will double in size and produce loads more flowers if you add 45p kitchen staple to soil this spring
THERE'S nothing quite like that relaxing scent of lavender during a warm spring and summer evening. Although it is a quintessential product of Provence, the sturdy shrub has been a gardeners' favourite all over the world and has been cultivated since Ancient Rome. 2 2 May is the perfect time to cultivate this beautiful yet low-maintenance shrub in the garden - and now one expert has revealed how to make the plant double in size thanks to a 45p kitchen staple. The whizz and YouTuber MIgardener explained that to make your lavender plants look fabulous this season you should fertilise it. In the informative clip, the guru recommended liquid nitrogen which can be found in fertilizer. But the amount of nitrogen varies significantly, typically ranging from 15% to 40%. Coffee grounds also contain liquid nitrogen and are a cheaper alternative to fertilizer, costing you around 45p. But coffee grounds typically contain around 1 to 2 percent nitrogen. They also contain small amounts of phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients. So while not a major source of nitrogen, they can contribute to plant nutrition, particularly when composted or added to soil as a soil amendment. Make sure to dilute the coffee grounds with water before applying them to flowerbeds as otherwise they can be too acidic and harm your plants. Another added bonus of using coffee as a fertiliser over synthetic ones is that it won't damage your l awn. The £14.50 Wickes buy people are swearing by to get rid of weeds on their driveway for GOOD If synthetic fertiliser is applied incorrectly it can reek havoc by burning the grass or contaminating the water, which coffee grounds won't do. On top of that, coffee acts as a slow-release fertiliser, the opposite of synthetic ones. Worms also love coffee and will eat it up along with the soil which in return aerates the lawn to stimulate even more growth. While fertilising your plants and flowers is a must for all gardeners and goes without saying, another key element is picking the right time, he added. According to the green-fingered YouTuber, whose lavender had expanded twice in size, you should fertilise it twice a year. May gardening jobs The Sun's Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine, has shared the tasks you need to crack on with in May. GARDEN growth can go from nought to ninety in May, depending on the weather. The last UK frosts are generally seen at the beginning of the month, so all of a sudden there's so much more to do and grow. Plant out dahlia tubers It's a joy to finally plant out your dahlia tubers. Remember how big they can get - and space accordingly - anything up to half a metre apart. It's a good idea to put your support stakes in now instead of trying to work around them. And make sure you include lots of well rotted manure or decent compost to feed it and then mulch to keep it moist and suppress weeds. They generally start blooming in July. Final feed to Spring flowers You can give a cheeky feed to all your remaining tulips and daffodils. Although the majority of bulbs aren't guaranteed to come back year after year any more, as long as you've left them to die back naturally there's a good chance they'll have stored enough energy to come back again. Tomato feed is fine. Tie up climbers Your clematis, honeysuckle and rambling roses should be well on their way by now - try to use plastic free string to tie them back into their support, or tuck them round each other to make sure they don't sprout off in crazy directions. Feed the lawn It's not too late to give your lawn a good feed. Whether you use granular or liquid, it can give it a good boost to see it through the harsher summer months. While mowing, don't go too low with your cut length yet and never take more than a third off the grass height. Get creative It's also time to get creative with hanging baskets and pots. Trailing pelargoniums, which a lot of people call geraniums, and Begonias are a good, low cost way of getting lovely returning blooms throughout the summer in your baskets. And pots can be planted with spring bulbs. Don't forget the greenhouse! Give your greenhouse a good tidy and clean the glass inside and out. The improved light will help plants grow quicker inside and tidying is good for the soul. You can just use a household white wine vinegar and water solution - or even neat if you're feeling spendy - which gives a really good shine. Dropping his knowledge bombs online, the whizz explained that the first fertilising should take place in spring. ''The goal is to get the plant out of the dormancy, to get it growing very fast. ''And when it grows really fast, all of that new growth is what it's going to flower on. ''We want to get lots of new growth to encourage lots of flowers.'' Once the flowers are gone and the lilac shrub is getting ready for winter, it's time to follow up with the second fertilising about a month or two before the first frost date. While during spring and summer the shrubs need more phosphorus, a winter fertilizer should be higher in potassium to ''help them set up better for spring''. For this, he advised to apply the fertiliser a month or two before the first frost to the base of the plant. ''We pull the foliage up, we dig up a small little trench about an inch deep, sprinkle the fertiliser around the base of the plant. ''Then we simply scratch it in, we water it in well - and that's all we do.
