A biodegradable plastics from wood-based materials

11-Aug-05

Packaging materials like soda cup lids, medical device covers and other products, have a one time use. The products are used for only brief periods, then tossed in the trash and eventually into landfills. The answer seems to have come along by way of a plastic made from a renewable source: wood-based waste material left over from the paper-making process. Paper mills produce tons of the waste daily, so it's readily available and relatively inexpensive. Biodegradable plastic made from wood-based materials that can be broken apart by bacteria and be degraded into nontoxic materials are being developed at the State University College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Unlike conventional plastics, these plastics are predicted to take 6-10 weeks to degrade in the presence of carbon dioxide and water, as this wood based material can be easily broken apart by bacteria and degraded into nontoxic materials. Research is being conducted and tests are underway. If all goes well, this material will relieve the burden on the US landfills where more than 30 billion pounds of plastic are dumped every year.