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The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

Plastic bags go green

Green technology isn’t just a thing of the future; researchers in Buenos Aires and France have made breakthroughs in edible plastic to help cut down on plastic waste across the globe.

 

According to the  Environmental Protection Agency, 31 million tons of plastic waste were generated in the U.S. in 2010.

 

In response to the modern world’s issues concerning plastic waste, researchers at the University of Buenos Aires have developed nontoxic edible plastic built around starch extracts from corn and cassava. The novel polymer is being called bioplastic.

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The key ingredient in bioplastic is a form of starch nanoparticle from a common corn variety called waxy corn. According to Professor Silvia Goyanes, the nanoparticles are 50,000 times smaller than a hair and allow starch plastics to be stronger and more resistant to breaking, making them more like your average plastic materials. The result is a strong plastic that protects both food and the environment and can be safely discarded because it breaks down like vegetable matter.

 

The research team is working on creating a stronger plastic that they hope can be used commercially to replace shopping bags.

 

Just across the ocean, a team of researchers in France is developing a line of edible containers with food inside them. Called WikiCells, the edible plastic containers were designed with nature in mind. The packaging is meant to mimic the way fruits are encased in shells and peels. The hope is to make strides in replacing the plastic and paper packaging often used at grocery stores.

 

Professor David Edwards of Harvard University is leading the project. A report by Daily Mail claimed that the plastic, made of a combination of algae and calcium, gets mixed with food particles that cause the packaging to taste like what is inside of it. The team has created several examples: an orange membrane filled with orange juice, tomato-flavored skin holding soup, and grape membranes filled with wine.

 

Edwards has claimed that WikiCells will be available to the public by the end of October. He believes that they will make their way to the U.S. by next year.

 

But according to a recent study done by the Federal Environment Agency of Germany, biodegradable plastics are no better than common plastics in terms of environmental benefit.

 

“Whereas their [carbon dioxide] emissions and consumption of petroleum are lower, they place greater strains on other environmental areas, particularly through the use of fertilizers,” said an FEA press release. Such environmental strains included causing eutrophication of water and acidification of soil to a much greater extent than in the production of common plastics.

 

Eutrophication is a process that promotes excessive algae growth, which leads to depletion of available oxygen in the water and the death of organisms reliant on that oxygen, according to the U.S. Geological Survey website. Soil acidification has been attributed to a decline in crop and pasture production.

 

However, both sides agree that preserving the planet is important. Reducing plastic waste is a large step in achieving this green dream, regardless of the technique.

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