Sustainable Bioplastic Doesn’t Need Water or Land For Production

A new research paper from Tel Aviv University details the process to make bioplastic polymers that don’t require land or fresh water. The polymer is created from microorganisms that feed on seaweed. The result is biodegradable, produces zero toxic waste and recycles into organic waste. Plastics account for up to 90 percent of all the pollutants in our oceans and their fabrication is a highly toxic and polluting process. Genuine plastic alternatives difficult to achieve However, until now, scientists have struggled to create environmentally friendly alternatives. "Plastics take hundreds of years to decay. So bottles, packaging, and bags create plastic ‘continents’ in the oceans, endanger animals and pollute the environment," says Dr. Alexander Golberg of TAU’s Porter School of Environmental and Earth Sciences. "Plastic is also produced from petroleum products, which has an industrial process that releases chemical contaminants as a byproduct." "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 freshwater, which many countries, including Israel, don’t have. Our new process produces ‘plastic’ from marine microorganisms that completely recycle […]

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