Yeasts have been used for thousands of years in the production of beer and wine and to add fluff and flavor to bread. They are nature's little factories that feed on sugars from fruits, grains and other nutrients, and from this menu produce alcohol for beverages and carbon dioxide to make bread swel...
Existing bio-based biodegradable materials are generally based on corn, sugar cane, etc., but they can be used as food or fuel as well. Imagine utilizing insects as a source of chemicals to create plastics that will later biodegrade with the help of the same insects. The concept is closer to re...
The EU's plastics strategy calls for all packaging placed on the market to be reusable or recyclable by 2030, and manufacturers have been looking closely at the use of bio-based and compostable plastics as potential alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics in the packaging industry. ...
August 8, 2023 A new study published in Nature - Earth Sciences suggests that there is less plastic trash in the oceans than scientists previously thought, but that this trash could last a long time.
Modeling studies estimate that pieces of plastic larger than 25 millimeters make up more than 9...
Recently, Rafael Auras' team at Michigan State University's Packaging Institute has created a PLA and thermoplastic starch blend that can be composted in home and industrial settings. This work was published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering.
In the United States, le...
PET and Polyester: PET is one of the most widely used plastics in the world. PET, the most familiar type of plastic beverage bottle, is produced in 70 million tons per year and is growing every year. One-third of the world's PET product is used to produce polyester and other synthetic textiles....
Origin Materials, a leading carbon-negative materials company whose goal is to drive the world's transition to sustainable materials; and Terphane, a subsidiary of Tredegar Corporation, a global leader in specialty PET polyester films ("BOPET"). The companies announced a strategic par...
Reducing carbon and emissions has been a must for the automotive industry in recent years to realize sustainable development. Recently, many chemical manufacturers have launched recycled or bio-based automotive plastics to help automotive manufacturing sustainable development from the material side....
LVMH, the world's leading luxury goods group, recently announced that its beauty division (LVMH Beauty) will partner with Dow to utilize plastics made from recycled and bio-based raw materials in its fragrance and cosmetics packaging. Dow is a chemical company that develops and produces a range...
Plastic waste is a growing problem. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that 400 million tons of plastic waste are produced globally each year, a figure that is expected to rise to more than 1 billion tons by 2050. Most plastics cannot be recycled and can only be thrown into land...
