Gizmodo
The reason plastic is awesome is that it's super durable, so it lasts forever, which is an issue when we want it to go away and take its place in the circle life. Biodegradable plastics aren't new, but in the past they've been pretty weak and expensive. Eco-geeks at the Missouri University of Science and Technology have come up with the anti-daywalker of plastic: All of its strengths, but it disintegrates in four months. They've got different plastic polymer cocktails depending on use—one for water bottles, another for grocery sacks—with varying bio-based fillers that'll break down easier.
One possible filler is glycerol, which is a waste product of making biodiesel. Another is polylactic acid, which is made by fermenting starches, and breaks down in just 60 days—it's a possible candidate for water bottle plastics. The bio-based fillers in the polymers will make it cheaper than past biogradegradables, but still fairly strong.
Course, you could use a polycarbonate or steel bottle over and over again, and cloth grocery bags, and skip the plastic entirely, but someone's gotta take out those bastard sea gulls. [PhysOrg via PopSci via New Launches, Image via Flickr]
Comments
Awesome!
With my luck, my grocery bags would expire as I'm carrying my eggs in the house.
And as the plastic bottle is breaking down over 60 days, naturally none of its added biodiesel waste products or polylactic acids are leaching into the drinking water it contains, right? Pass.
It will still take just a few minutes to choke the shit out of a sea turtle. Pure pwnage.
it's about time. maybe they can use some of this in other things as well - dipers for one.
Wow, this is amazing! We need to see more research like this, and hopefully high adoption rates!
Grocery store forgets to use the older stock of bags, only to open the box and find NOTHING THERE! Call my agent, that's a great idea for a horror movie.
diapers r half biodegradable
Very cool tech! Though you go through all this process to make it using oil and starches and delivering it to stores etc for the few minutes of use so we take crap home and then it magicaly dissapears... I could see this for keeping things fresh - not to maintain our sorry ass lazy lifestyle.
While this does solve the problem of littered plastic bags sticking around forever in the street/forest/ocean...it doesn't really stop the filling up of landfills. Landfills are designed to slow/prevent biodegradation so that toxic stuff doesn't leech out.
In other words: if you've got a biodegradable bag, just toss it out the window if you want to really be green. Sending it to the landfill is just plain wrong.
@EQC:
While a landfill may slow the biodegrading process due to covering the junk with dirt which prevents oxygen from speeding up the process, their purpose is not necessarily to slow that process. Landfills actually trap the "toxic stuff" also known as methane, and use it to produce electricity.
The problem with biodegradable plastics is that putting them in a landfill would slow the biodegrading process much more than if it weren't a plastic.
@EQC: Fill it with dirt and use it to pot a new tree.
Re: Seagulls
One word (well, I dunno, maybe it's tow words): Alka-Seltzer
one word: paper
Haven't biodegradable plastic bags been around for years? Oh right they have, and they're still around. Because what people fail to figure out is that they only degrade under certain conditions. Conditions which usually do not contain "cover it in 6-11 inches of topsoil, then layer more trash over it."
Kind of like that biodegradable plastic cutlery made from potatoes. The only place in the US that uses the necessary technology to compost it is in Berkeley California.
Or you could get paper bags, and solve this all from the onset!
There are two supermarkets in my town that uses biodegradable bags for about 2 months. One is a nationwide supermarket and the other one is a local store. (I live in Chile BTW)
@liveinvt: but how many trees do you have to chop for bags?
Seriously guys, invest in some cloth or reusable grocery bags, do your part.
@Sebastianbf: hemp FTW
@Sebastianbf:
Does that even matter? Chopping trees for paper is better than using oil for plastic any way you look at it. Trees are a renewable resource.
@SirNirian: Here is what the tree reply, genocide the human to save the planet.
Yes, but will they still smother small children? If they don't, it ain't progress.
@Heman: That would be xenocide, I believe.
Just because it "bio-degrades" doesn't mean that it "disappears". We'll be ingesting the small molecular plastics as well as spreading that to ecosystems.
Just DON'T USE PLASTIC!
@Heman:
Bring it on. Humans vs Trees. Should be a good fight.
They need to use this technology in making garbage bags since they tend to spend a lot of time sitting in landfills and can't be replaced with reusable cloth bags.
@Heman: That would be erroneous just as cutting all trees - there are many things that humans can do to help trees and the planet, but overconsumption and non-renewable energy are not among them.
@Moordryd: We'll be ingesting the small molecular plastics as well as spreading that to ecosystems.
It's the large molecules that I'm afraid of.
"Bring it on. Humans vs Trees. Should be a good fight."
We could watch it on Pay-per View. Hahaha. Nevermind.
Good idea.
But what I really wanna know is why Univ. of MO - Rolla (apparently now known as Missouri University of Science and Technology) decided it was a good idea to change their name after the Mizzou (Univ. of MO - Columbia) name change uproar?? I mean, I know Rolla is nothing but engineering for the most part, but still.
I know - completely unrelated, but that's wack. Univ. of MO - St. Louis grad here, hence my bewilderment.
Great! Now I can use plastic vs a bullet to do all of my dirty work. I'll have a 2 month window to not get caught!
What about cities that ban plastic bags? Is there an exception?
@shorty63136:
That's ok, keep up the good work!
day 1: bag
day 25: bag
day 100: bag
day 121: Uh, WTF happened to my bag?
@BasicBlack and @Moordryd: Ever heard of Bisphenol A?
ha ha ha!
plasticorgy.jpg
ha ha ha.
doesnt seem practical at all...after they make it companies have 40 days to get them from the manufacturer(4-7days), send from headquaters to retail stores (5-10 days), use the bags already there, then use the new ones all in 40 days.
Remember all those days are mon-fri not including weekends.
from working at a grocery store back in the day, plastic bags are stocked to the max, having one that will disappear from inventory...not happening.
@shorty63136: But what I really wanna know is why Univ. of MO - Rolla (apparently now known as Missouri University of Science and Technology) decided it was a good idea to change their name after the Mizzou (Univ. of MO - Columbia) name change uproar?? I mean, I know Rolla is nothing but engineering for the most part, but still.
This was debated for awhile amongst the alumni (me included) because Rolla wanted to sound more prestigious, like MIT. The interesting thing is that I have seen mention of Rolla (MST) mentioned a few times recently, and I'm glad. It's a great school, but don't go there if all you want to do is party. Unless of course you go down for St. Pat's
But where does it go?
There has been another biodegradable tecynology using unique formula of bacteria enzyme base substrate as against starch base as used by other manufacturers world over which is not as strong or durable as polymer (plastic) bags and has a cost addition of 300%-400%. Also starch based products can comprise of genetically modified crops (GM Crops).
This is the only Biodegradable technology in the world using bacteria enzyme base substrate which is 100% biodegradable within 6 months after disposal as per ASTM-D 5988-1996 and EN 13432:2000/ISO 14855 standards with the lowest cost addition of 15%-20%.
BIOPLAST biodegradable products are also compostable and hence enhancing the nutritive value of the remaining soil. All the ingredients of BIOPLAST biodegradable plastic products are food grade and non-toxic in nature therefore are suitable to have contact with food products.
BIOPLAST believes that this great innovation will go a long way in preserving the ecological balance around the world which has brought intelligent and affordable solution to the disposal of polyethylene plastic waste problem worldwide.
Find out more at www.bioplast.com.tr
Hemp net bag and glass bottles with deposits. Not only are they eco friendly, they will clothe and employ Americans in the coming depression.
I wonder what will happen when a person is stuck in the desert with a bottle made of this with water? Tough luck! ;)
"breaks down in just 60 days-it's a possible candidate for water bottle plastics."
Yeah, that's going to be great when I buy a case of water at Costco for storage.
@Sebastianbf:
If you mean fully grown trees, probably none. If you mean year old saplings grown on a farm, lots.
@TheCapt:
Shouldn't that be MUST? :-)
My problem with plastic bag bans is that it may be well and good for those who are wealthy enough to drive, many people have to walk and/or use public transportation, and several paper bags are MUCH harder to manage than several plastic bags.
Not to mention how much more durable the plastic bags are; you're much more likely to have a paper bag break on you.