Bioplastics made of garbage
Why not make a plastic bag from the bakery out of bread itself? Loaves, and many other kinds of organic waste can be turned into a variety of new products. And that's just the beginning.
Don't toss that loaf
Old bread into new plastics: The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research and the Leibnitz Institute for Agricultural Research are pursuing this aim together. Of course, it involves more than just slicing up the bread and mixing it into the plastic. First the breasd has to be chopped to its molecules - and that's not possible just with a knife.
From starch to sugar
Bread - or any other waste that includes a large portion of starch - must be decomposed into sugars. They are the favorite snack of specific micro-organisms. The bacteria then turn the sugars into long molecules of lactic acid, so-called polylactide polymers.
Fibers of lactic acid
These fibres made of Polylactic Acid (PLA) have been produced from corn starch. They can be used for a large variety of purposes: The fleece finds use in medicine, while the thread can be turned into clothing.
Compostable caps
The polo shirt and baseball cap (pictured) as well as all other different plastic parts are compostable. Buried in the ground, or exposed to sunlight, they will eventually disintegrate. After a while, only lactic acid will remain. This is also usefull in medicine: PLA screws, used to fix broken bones, will gradually disintegrate as the bones heal.
What to do with old shrimp shells?
Waste from seafood processing can also be turned into plastics: Shrimp shells contain chitin - a good raw material for the production of new polymers. This also solves an environmental issue. Garbage from the fishing industry not only stinks, but also generates dangerous gases.
Polymers out of wood
When paper mills produce cellulose, they leave something behind that, typically, only a fungus can deal with: Lignin. Biocatalysts can break it up as well. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology want to turn it into polymers - the basis for new plastics.
Foam made of CO2
Power plants produce waste in the form of gases. The foam pictured is partially made using carbon dioxide from the exhaust of a coal power plant. The CO2 was broken up using a special catalyst from Bayer. The advantage of the new method: It uses less energy than classical foam production.
From prototype to production
CO2 foam could soon be found in many households. Here, you see production at a pilot facility in Leverkusen. A full-scale production facility is being built right now and is expected to go into service in 2016.
Turning wood right into plastic
Natural materials can also be added to traditional plastic compounds to enforce the products structurally. Those plastic parts containing wood and other natural fibers can be used to build furniture or the inner lining of cars.
Prototyp made from China grass
This device is made out of China grass. The plant grows fast and is excellent for producing energy. But the fibers can also be usefull in the production of plastic parts. Researchers from the University of Bonn have produced it at their agricultural campus, Klein Altendorf.