JERUSALEM, Dec 25: Scientists have developed biodegradable plastics derived from microorganisms that feed on seaweed which produces zero toxic waste and can be recycled into organic waste.
According to the United Nations, plastic accounts for up to 90 per cent of all the pollutants in our oceans, yet there are few comparable, environmentally friendly alternatives to the material.
“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 from Tel Aviv University in Israel.
“Plastic is also produced from petroleum products, which has an industrial process that releases chemical contaminants as a byproduct,” said Golberg.
“A partial solution to the plastic epidemic is bioplastics, which don’t use petroleum and degrade quickly. But bioplastics also have an environmental price: To grow the plants or the bacteria to make the plastic requires fertile soil and fresh water, which many countries, including Israel, don’t have,” said Golberg.
“Our new process produces ‘plastic’ from marine microorganisms that completely recycle into organic waste,” he said.
The researchers harnessed microorganisms that feed on seaweed to produce a bioplastic polymer called polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA).
“Our raw material was multicellular seaweed, cultivated in the sea,” Golberg said.
“These algae were eaten by single-celled microorganisms, which also grow in very salty water and produce a polymer that can be used to make bioplastic,” he said.
“There are already factories that produce this type of bioplastic in commercial quantities, but they use plants that require agricultural land and fresh water,” Golberg said.
“The process we propose will enable countries with a shortage of fresh water, such as Israel, China and India, to switch from petroleum-derived plastics to biodegradable plastics,” he said.
Researchers could revolutionise the world’s efforts to clean the oceans, without affecting arable land and without using fresh water.
“Plastic from fossil sources is one of the most polluting factors in the oceans,” he said.
“We have proved it is possible to produce bioplastic completely based on marine resources in a process that is friendly both to the environment and to its residents,” he added.
“We are now conducting basic research to find the best bacteria and algae that would be most suitable for producing polymers for bioplastics with different properties,” he added. (AGENCIES)
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