Sustainable 'plastics' are on the horizon

Science Daily / American Friends of Tel Aviv University ^ | 2018 December 25 | Science news from research organizations

[CutePuppy]

New sustainable biopolymer technology may one day free the world of its worst pollutant

Source: American Friends of Tel Aviv University

Summary: A new Tel Aviv University study describes a process to make bioplastic polymers that don't require land or fresh water — resources that are scarce in much of the world. The resulting material is biodegradable, produces zero toxic waste and recycles into organic waste.

FULL STORY:

The invention was the fruit of a multidisciplinary collaboration between Dr. Alexander Golberg of TAU's Porter School of Environmental and Earth Sciences and Prof. Michael Gozin of TAU's School of Chemistry. Their research was recently published in the journal Bioresource Technology.

According to the United Nations, plastic accounts for up to 90 percent of all the pollutants in our oceans, yet there are few comparable, environmentally friendly alternatives to the material. ..... < snip >

< snip > ..... "A partial solution to the plastic epidemic is bioplastics, which don't use petroleum and degrade quickly. But bioplastics also have an environmental price: To grow the plants or the bacteria to make the plastic requires fertile soil and fresh water, which many countries, including Israel, don't have.

"Our new process produces 'plastic' from marine microorganisms that completely recycle into organic waste."

The researchers harnessed microorganisms that feed on seaweed to produce a bioplastic polymer called polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). "Our raw material was multicellular seaweed, cultivated in the sea," Dr. Golberg says. "These algae were eaten by single-celled microorganisms, which also grow in very salty water and produce a polymer that can be used to make bioplastic.

"There are already factories that produce this type of bioplastic in commercial quantities ..." < snip >

[CutePuppy]

According to Dr. Golberg, the study could revolutionize the world's efforts to clean the oceans without using fresh water, which may be in short supply in countries like Israel, India and China among others. TAU is now doing research on creating the best algae and bacteria for producing bioplastic polymers.

[FrankR]

Now can we have our plastic straws back? Hummmmmmmmm?

[CutePuppy]

Now can we have our plastic straws back? Hummmmmmmmm?

I think that's the point... That was the last straw!

[ClearCase_guy]

[Dexter Morgan]

“bioplastic polymer called polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)”

This has already been found by the State of California to cause cancer.

[CutePuppy]

"I have one word for you... Plastics!"

[2nd Amendment]

I would have thought the Palestinians would have come up with this first

[ZinGirl]

“Simples” (per IT Crowd). Just take all the plastic straws and create hearts...or whatever. Then implant accordingly.

[Fungi]

They were never "unsustainable" to begin with. Aspergillus tubingensis eats plastic. https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/plasticeating-fungus-found-at-a-landfill-site-in-pakistan/

[plain talk]

I was thinking about something like this a while back. Great concept and hope it works.

[digger48]

My new fishing reel has already been found by California to cause cancer

My new depth finder, too

I almost caused permanent damage by rolling my eyes so far back on that one

[CutePuppy]

"This has already been found by the State of California to cause cancer."

I don't think they 've been quite up to speed with this yet, but... give them time... And just maybe we'll get off with just a warning sticker which are pretty much being ignored in CA, as far as I can tell.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates - wiki

[oldasrocks]

California is a cancer.

[Secret Agent Man]

So I guess forget about stockng up and storing things in plastic.

Idiots.

[Secret Agent Man]

All their exports should carry a warning.

California is known to be a cancer, and cause virulent spread of libtard socialist ideas and policies.

[HChampagne]

The article fails to mention the collaboration with the great Palestinian Technical Institute. /s

[Electric Graffiti]

They are idiots. They’ve already done this with wiring insulation in Europeeon cars decades ago. My brother had a 90’s Mercedes that was blessed to have biodegradable wiring insulation(sheaths/coverings). What could go wrong, ammirite? I think it was a EU mandate.

Liberalism is a mental disorder.

[TheNext]

Your stored food in bio-plastic will just taste like seaweed.

[a fool in paradise]

Don’t current plastics already “contaminate” the water etc. contained within the packaging?

biodegradable containers sounds as if they will even be more likely to affect the contents.

[roadcat]

biodegradable containers sounds as if they will even be more likely to affect the contents.

This could be a problem in a post-apocalyptic world. Imagine being a survivor looking for food years after doomsday. But only finding that containers turned into a soggy goo along with their lost contents. Let's keep our non-biodegradable containers in play, just in case...