Lux Bio’s light sticks use enzymes that break chemical bonds to produce light, avoiding toxic chemicals and plastic pollutants.
Benefits
- Nontoxic ingredients
- Long-lasting light
- No plastic
Applications
- Commercial and recreational fishing
- Emergency preparedness
- Outdoor adventures
- Scuba diving and swimming
- Concerts and festivals
UN Sustainable Development Goals Addressed
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Goal 6: Clean Water & Sanitation
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Goal 14: Life Below Water
The Challenge
Glow sticks, widely used for fishing and other purposes, produce light through chemical reactions encased in plastic tubes. The sticks are often abandoned at sea, however, leading to the leaching of toxic chemicals and degradation of plastic into the ocean.
Biological Model
The deep-sea anglerfish has a glowing lure at the end of a fishing rod-type appendage extending from its head, which it uses to attract prey. That glow is bioluminescence: Symbiotic bacteria in the lure produce an enzyme called luciferase that creates light by breaking the chemical bonds of a molecule called luciferin. Bioluminescent algae, fireflies, and other organisms also produce light in a similar way.
Innovation Details
Lux Bio has engineered a nontoxic enzyme powder that produces light when mixed with water. Its Lux Model 1 light sticks consist of a glass tube filled with water inside a biodegradable tube holding the enzyme powder. When the glass is cracked, the water and powder mix, activating the enzyme and releasing energy as light that can last up to 48 hours, potentially replacing millions of toxic chemical light sticks used in commercial and recreational fishing each year. This enzymatic chemical reaction is 10 times more efficient than the chemicals used in traditional light sticks, meaning fewer materials and energy are needed to produce Lux Bio’s light sticks. The team is also developing a bioluminescent sea dye marker for search and rescue missions.
The Human Factor
Volunteering at the Shambhala Music Festival one year, Lux Bio CEO and cofounder Paige Whitehead found herself cleaning up endless plastic glow sticks from the festival site, a family farm in British Columbia. She wondered what would happen to the animals if they ate glow sticks that were left behind. What would happen to the farm’s soil and water if the sticks were left to degrade? Whitehead had been fascinated by bioluminescence ever since her first night swim in the ocean, and she began to wonder whether light produced this way could ever replace the light created by toxic chemicals in plastic tubes—a $9 billion industry. She spent years studying and researching bioluminescence, including a five-month stint at a lab monitoring Puerto Rico’s Puerto Mosquito Bioluminescent Bay, which glows blue year round thanks to bioluminescent plankton. “Whenever I see bioluminescence I feel like a child again,” she says. “Bioluminescence is one of the most unexpected and beautiful biological phenomena that has evolved over millennia in nearly every branch on the tree of life.”
Ray of Hope Accelerator
The Ray of Hope Accelerator supports an annual cohort of ten high-impact nature-inspired startups representing various sectors and regions addressing the world’s biggest environmental and sustainability challenges. The accelerator builds upon years of experience as the Ray of Hope Prize. Created in honor of Ray C. Anderson, founder of Interface, Inc. and a business and sustainability leader, the $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize (2020-2023) shone a light on the innovative, nature-inspired solutions that we need to build a sustainable and resilient world. Lux Bio was selected as a finalist for the 2023 Ray of Hope Prize.