U.S. Develops New Generation of High Performance Degradable Natural Plastic

A biotechnology company in the United States has recently developed an "eco-friendly plastic" using corn as its main raw material, and will establish the world's first eco-friendly plastics production plant. The industry believes that this also means that the era of the global catering industry bid farewell to petrochemical plastic tableware is approaching.

According to the British "Financial Times" report, a new type of plastic called "a new generation of high-performance natural plastics" was developed by the United States Archer - Daniels - Midland Corporation (ADM). This is a natural PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) plastic that is made from the sugar raw material extracted from corn starch through a complete biological fermentation process. This plastic can be degraded in special cold and hot environments, and even biodegraded in the marine environment. In addition to being used as a plastic tableware, this plastic product can also be made into films and other products. The price of sugar and starch as raw materials for production is far lower than the price of mineral oil for traditional petrochemical plastics.

In 2005, due to high oil prices, the prices of raw materials for the global food packaging industry rose by 30% to 80%. After the completion of the ADM company's production plant, the annual production capacity can reach 50,000 tons, and it is expected that the ecological plastic will enter the ordinary family.

Source of information: pack.cn