Have you heard the one about Biodegradable Plastic from Tree Glue?
Well ‘Good News’ about tackling the global problem of plastic waste appears to be like buses…
You wait forever then two or three of them turn-up at once..
An article in the Telegraph today states that biodegradable plastic made from ‘tree glue’ could be on shelves within five years…
This is not something that has just happened overnight researchers at the University of Warwick have found that a natural glue called lignin, which holds cellulose fibres together, stiffening plant stems, can be turned into a strong, moldable plastic.
The Warwick’s teams discovery of this byproduct of the paper making process, looks to be another major step forward in tackling one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world today.
Professor Tim Bugg at Warwick University has developed a way to use genetically modified bacteria to turn the glue into useful chemicals.
His discovery of a bacteria called ‘Rhodococcus jostii’, which lives in the soil and feeds on the glue, can be genetically altered so that it turns lignin into high yields of biodegradable plastic.
Prof Bugg has been working on his research for 40 years…..
YES – you read that correctly – FORTY YEARS
During a meeting in London he said: “I have been working on lignin for 40 years and when I started people said ‘you’re wasting your time’ but now people are thinking this is possible. Still difficult but it is possible.”
Difficult but possible – it is so heartening to hear such ‘Positive News’ in a time when everything seem to be ‘Bad News’.
When currently, around 300 million tonnes of plastic is discarded each year, with only about 10 per cent of it being recycled. It is people like Proffesor Bugg and his research team that the government should be funding and encouraging.
It is time we all #RethinkPlastic – where what we do is part of the ‘Solution’ and not the ‘Problem’
We here at PAIRFUM, have always tried to find ways to work along side and incorporate Nature into all of our products and packaging. It is why all our packaging is ‘Renewable & Home Compostable’ to discover why PAIRFUM’s is ‘ Luxury with a Conscience’ click here
