Bio- and photodegradable copolymers derived from low-cost feedstocks

Conference · Mon Aug 21 04:00:00 EDT 1989

OSTI ID:5653170

Coleman, R D; Tsai, T S; Tsai, S P; Bonsignore, P V

Agricultural and industrial waste streams have become an economic burden as well as a serious environmental problem. In the United States, billions of pounds of cheese-whey permeate and approximately 10 billion pounds of potatoes processed each year are typically discarded or sold as cattle feed at $3--6/ton, sometimes requiring expensive transportation. As a potential solution to this economic and environmental problem, Argonne National Laboratory is developing technology that: bioconverts existing food-processing waste streams into lactic acid, and uses lactic acid to make environmentally safe, degradable plastics. An Argonne process for bioconverting high-carbohydrate food wastes into lactic acid will not only help to solve a waste problem for the food industry, but also will save energy and is economically attractive. This process is briefly discussed. 2 figs.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/CE
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5653170
• Report Number(s): CONF-890814-8; ON: DE90001411
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320305* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Industrial Waste Management
BACTERIA
BIOCONVERSION
BIODEGRADATION
CARBOHYDRATES
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COPOLYMERS
DECOMPOSITION
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
FERMENTATION
FOOD
FOOD PROCESSING
HYDROXY ACIDS
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
LACTIC ACID
MANAGEMENT
MARKET
MATERIALS
MICROORGANISMS
MILK PRODUCTS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
PETROCHEMICALS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PLANTS
PLASTICS
POLYMERS
POLYSACCHARIDES
POTATOES
PROCESSING
PRODUCTION
REAGENTS
SACCHARIDES
STARCH
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHETIC MATERIALS
TUBERS
VEGETABLES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WHEY