Biodegradable plastics from potato waste double savings to environment

Journal Article · Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1990 · Agricultural Engineering; (USA)

OSTI ID:5949285

Coleman, R ^[1]

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1. Argonne National Laboratory, IL (USA)

Plastics can be made from starchy food waste. This article describes a method by which these plastics break down into harmless chemicals when exposed to sunlight, water or bacteria. Degradable trash bags and agricultural mulch films can replace some of the millions of pounds of nondegradable plastics used each year. Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory developed that involves enzymatically converting potato waste into glucose, fermenting the glucose to lactic acid using bacteria, and then using the lactic acid to construct fully degradable plastics.

• OSTI ID: 5949285
• Journal Information: Agricultural Engineering; (USA), Vol. 71:6; ISSN 0002-1458
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
AGRICULTURAL WASTES
RESOURCE POTENTIAL
PLASTICS
BIOSYNTHESIS
BIODEGRADATION
DECOMPOSITION
MARKET
PHOTOLYSIS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
MATERIALS
ORGANIC WASTES
PETROCHEMICALS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHETIC MATERIALS
WASTES
290500* - Energy Planning & Policy- Research
Development
Demonstration
& Commercialization