bioplastic Archives – The Green Optimistic

UK Student Designs Bioplastic out of Fish Scales and Skin

Mila Luleva — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 12:39:31 +0000

UK student invents new-generation bioplastics. Can this be the solution to one of the world’s biggest pollution problems? It is this time of the year again, when James Dyson, well known British Inventor, awards his annual prize to the most talented student designer. With so many young brains currently mesmerizing the world with their inventions, […]

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Recyclable Milk Cartons Made from Plant-Based Plastics Go On Sale

Mila Luleva — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 12:15:37 +0000

Recyclable milk cartons, made entirely from plant-based plastics, are about to hit Finnish supermarket shelves before the end of January. The maker, Tetra Pak, proudly refers to the cartons as the “world’s first fully renewable carton package“. Finally, finally! The wait for a 100% recyclable milk carton is over, thanks to one of the world’s giants […]

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Bio-plastics Made of Fructose Disappear as We Please

Mila Luleva — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 09:18:38 +0000

The solution to plastic pollution might just have been discovered. A team of US scientists developed a material out of fructose that functions just like regular plastics but it breaks down as soon as it is exposed to a specific type of UV light. Plastic pollution is everywhere around us, it has even established itself […]

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Bioplastics Made from Parsley Stems and Rice Hulls Reduce Both Bio- and Plastic Waste

Mila Luleva — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 09:32:06 +0000

Plastic pollution has reached incredible levels in a space of just a decade or so. Not only that people’s careless waste disposal behaviour has led to the formation of the huge Pacific Garbage Patch, but also the actual process of plastic production adds additional chemical pollutants to the ecosystems. Italian scientists, however, think that bioplastics made […]

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Wood-Based Biofore Concept Car Reduces Petroleum Usage

Benji Jerew — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:04:49 +0000

Modern vehicles contain, on average, over 300 pounds of plastic. Of course, most modern plastics are made from petroleum, which opens up a whole new world of pollution and emissions. Plastic pollution, not only from its manufacture, but also from lack of recycling, means a lot of petroleum goes to waste. In 2012, the EPA […]

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Bioplastics Could Have a New Source of Raw Material: Animal Fats

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:29:17 +0000

Animal leftovers are a valuable source of fats (carbon-rich organic polymers) that are ideal for the production of bioplastics. This could make the search for alternatives to petrochemical products turn slaughter houses in goldmines. Along with the meat, skin, bones and even hair, the slaughter houses will be able to turn any of the redundant organic […]

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Future Plastic Bags Could Be Made Out of Shrimp Shells

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:57:34 +0000

Forrest Gump knew all about the “shrimpin’ business” from his friend Bubba, but at that time I guess he didn’t know how to get rid of the shrimp shells in an environmentally-sound way. Scientists today want to convert these crustaceans’ shells into bioplastics like nylon or polystyrene to avoid the use of petroleum. The industry […]

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Biodegradable Plastics Made From Waste Cooking Oil With Aid from Bacteria

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 14:53:40 +0000

Waste cooking oil could be used to make better bioplastics, according to researchers participating at the Society for General Microbiology’s Autumn Conference at the University of Warwick. A team at the University of Wolverhampton have used such bacteria called Ralstonia eutropha H16 to produce bioplastics. They noticed that the bacteria grew better in oil and produced […]

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Pineapples and Bananas Could Be Building Blocks for Future Cars

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 20:45:39 +0000

Various scientists have been arguing over bioplastics and their cleanliness to the environment lately. A new invention from Brazil creates bioplastics having the strength similar to Kevlar from bananas and pineapples. Alcides LeÃƒÆ’£o, a researcher at Sao Paulo State University, and the project leader, says his bioplastics are "30% lighter and three to four times stronger."

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Researcher Finds Method Of Producing Bioplastics From Waste By Training Special Bacteria

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 15:28:39 +0000

A doctoral thesis on the topic of converting agricultural wastes into high-quality bioplastics could reach the first page of newspapers these days. Jean-Paul Meinjen, a researcher at the Technical University of Delft, Netherlands, will be presenting how he actually trained and selected bacteria in an evolutionary process that is not to be neglected by any means.

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Bioplastics Worse Than Ordinary Plastics For Atmosphere, Study Claims

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 09:22:22 +0000

A team of researchers at the University of Pittsburgh reached the conclusion that bioplastics are not as green as they were thought to be, but rather carry the guilt of pollution from the soil (through their biodegradability) to the atmosphere. They published their findings in a report in Environmental Science and Technology.

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Mazda Makes Eco-Friendly Plastics from Biomass

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:09:20 +0000

Mazda Motor Corporation and Hiroshima University are researching together to develop a brand new "green" plastic material from cellulosic biomass. They want to use it in vehicles by 2013.

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