JERUSALEM: Researchers have developed a new sustainable biopolymer technology to make bioplastic polymers which may one day free the world of its worst pollutant, finds a new study. The process to make the bioplastic polymers does not require land or fresh water — which are scarce in most parts of the world — and is friendly both to the environment and residents. The study showed that the new process produces the bioplastic polymer known as polyhydroxyalkanoate from marine microorganisms that feed on seaweed and recycle into organic waste. In addition, it is biodegradable and produces zero toxic waste, as per the study published in the journal Bioresource Technology.
“Plastics take hundreds of years to decay. So bottles, packaging and bags create plastic ‘continents’ in the oceans, endanger animals and pollute the environment,” said Alexander Golberg, researcher. “Plastic is also produced from petroleum products, which has an industrial process that releases chemical contaminants as a by-product,” said Golberg. A partial solution to the plastic epidemic is bioplastics, which do not use petroleum and degrade quickly, according to the researchers. The study could revolutionise the efforts to clean the oceans, without affecting arable land and without using fresh water. — IANS
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