BUZZ: The Plastic Potato
Posted by tich on May 27, 2008
A potato that produces natural plastic may soon be a reality. But unlike the original plastic potato, Mr. Potato Head, this new plant will have profound impacts on the nature of plastic and its ability to exist in harmony with the environment.
Scientists now are perfecting a system of growing organic plastics rather than manufacturing them. Unlike typical plastics in use today, these new plastics are not petroleum-based and will biodegrade.
“It’s a new wave in the life sciences,” said Clinton Fuller, a biochemist and professor at the University of Massachusetts. “It will give us whole new parameters to solve problems.”
Fuller, who has been researching natural plastics for five years, said the work has broad scientific support because of its potential long-range practicality.
The idea is to manipulate certain types of bacteria to produce natural polymers in a process similar to brewing beer. When key nutrients are withheld, the bacteria produce the ..
Source: waste reduction
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