‘Green’ Plastics Could Help Reduce Carbon Footprint

More than 20 million tons of plastic are placed in U.S. landfills each year. Results from a new University of Missouri study suggest that some of the largely petroleum-based plastic may soon be replaced by a nonpolluting, renewable plastic made from plants. Reducing the carbon footprint and the dependence on foreign oil, this new ‘green’ alternative may also provide an additional cash crop for farmers.

“Making plastics from plants is not a new idea,” said Brian Mooney, research assistant professor of biochemistry with the MU Interdisciplinary Plant Group. “Plastics made from plant starch and soy protein have been used as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics for a while. What is relatively new - and exciting - is the idea of using plants to actually grow plastics.”

By employing a number of modern molecular techniques, scientists are able to introduce three bacterial enzymes into the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. When combined with two enzymes from the plant, an organic polymer is produced. The polymer, known as polyhdroxybutyrate-co-polyhydroxyvalerate, or PHBV, is a flexible and moldable plastic that can be used to produce a wide range of products, such as grocery bags, soda bottles, disposable razors and flatware. When discarded, the plastic is naturally degraded into water and carbon dioxide by bacteria in the soil.

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Tags: brian mooney, carbon footprint, dependence on foreign oil, green plastics, Innovation, moldable plastic, organic polymer, plant arabidopsis thaliana, soda bottles, soy protein

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 1st, 2009 at 12:06 pm and is filed under Science Digest / Science Daily, environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.