Numerous scientists around the world are working on degradable or recyclable polymers made from non-edible plant material, or “lignocellulosic biomass”. But the research is complex.
Researchers from EPFL and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, have successfully developed a plastic from biomass, similar to PET, that meets the criteria as an environmentally friendly alternative to several existing plastics. The promising tough, heat-resistant plastic could be used for food packaging.
Their work was published in Nature journal.
We essentially just ‘cook’ wood or other non-edible plant material, such as agricultural wastes, in inexpensive chemicals to produce the plastic precursor in one step. By keeping the sugar structure intact within the molecular structure of the plastic, the chemistry is much simpler than current alternatives.
The technique is based on a discovery that Prof. Luterbacher and his colleagues published in 2016, where adding an aldehyde, an organic compound, stabilised certain parts of plant material and prevented their destruction during extraction.
The plastics produced could potentially have a wide range of uses: from packaging and textiles to medicine and electronics. The team have already developed packaging films, fibres that could be spun into clothing or other textiles, and filaments for 3D-printing.