plastics from algae instead of petroleum

[yurbud]

Green algae, the photosynthetic organism used as a biofuel, has now been put to use as sustainable bioplastic.

Sustainable plastic manufacturer Cereplast announced that it can turn algae into a sustainable bioplastic resin, to be put to use in water bottles, plasticware and other applications.

The company, which already manufactures plastic from corn, potatoes, tapioca and wheat, says algae-based plastic could replace up to 50 percent of petroleum content found in traditional plastic resin. That’s a big deal, since more than 15 billion pounds of plastic film are manufactured each year in the U.S. alone, a $12 billion industry.

The problem with all that plastic: it’s not biodegradeable and fills landfills, it relies on increasingly-depleted fossil fuels, it uses energy and increases greenhouse gas emissions. If a big company like ConAgra were to make the switch, the impact would be felt across the economy.


http://www.smartplanet.com/business/blog/smart-takes/green-algae-used-to-make-plastics-that-dont-contain-petroleum/1834/