This exactly the kind of thing we need!

With the worlds oil running out, this is a perfect invention. Alternatives to plastic made out of potatoes! Its as strong as conventional materials and is 100% biodegradable. The only thing im worried about is my car biodegrading while im driving it!

heres the link,
www.ananova.com... ceanddiscovery

Very nice find, there! I hope this becomes a standard within the next decade.

And on the bright side, if you get stranded somewhere, you can just eat the fenders.

Pretty cool stuff. I work for a rather large plastic manufactuer as an engineer and never heard of this stuff..

From what I gather from doing some research that it's an additive you add to your mix. If you don't know, plastic is formed by mixing a bunch of powders and heating them through an extruder or belt-mill mixed with some resin..

You add color dye (powder as well) to make it whatever color the customer desires.

And this new additive seems to be a eco-friendly additive that a customer can request. Apparently, it doesnt start to break down until its in a landfill.

BUT..

Being an engineer at a plastic plant, I can tell you right now that customers already take shortcuts to avoid costs. They request less additives that make plastic stronger/rigid for cost cuts. So that supreme American bumper you have on your car might not be as strong as they tell you it is.

So if the Auto industry is already cutting corners to cut costs by making less durable material, do you really think they'll pay more to assure it breaks down in a landfill? I think not.

Unless they're forced too. And we all know Big Corporate isnt forced into anything.

www.acfnewsource.org...

[edit on 9/26/2004 by QuietSoul]

Very nice find. I wish I knew how they convertes to spud. I would like to make some stuff.

Makes you wonder what else can be used, for anything. Or What other things are being tested to see what can be made.

Biodegradable plastics have been around for a while.. I think the foam that UPS packs with is made from an extract of some plant.

What if you get ants or termites? They could then literally eat your car, computer, TV, etc., since they'd all be made out of biodegradable plastic!

However, using biodegradable plastic for such things as package stuffing, anything disposable, etc. is cool with me.

But remember, if we didn't need so much oil for fuel for automobiles of all kinds, the amount of oil we have would virtually last forever as far as plastics are concerned.

Originally posted by ThunderCloud
What if you get ants or termites? They could then literally eat your car, computer, TV, etc., since they'd all be made out of biodegradable plastic!

I think you're assuming too much.

Originally posted by shbaz
Biodegradable plastics have been around for a while.. I think the foam that UPS packs with is made from an extract of some plant.

true but i think those are still made using oil. unless someone can prove me wrong.

Google can prove you wrong.
www.google.com...

Unless you count vegetable oil as a petroleum product.

Originally posted by shbaz
Google can prove you wrong.
www.google.com...

Unless you count vegetable oil as a petroleum product.

oh ok fair enough.

Originally posted by QuietSoul
Being an engineer at a plastic plant, I can tell you right now that customers already take shortcuts to avoid costs. They request less additives that make plastic stronger/rigid for cost cuts. So that supreme American bumper you have on your car might not be as strong as they tell you it is.

I don't need engineer to tell that.
Here in Finland we have real winters so pretty much everything made from plastic breaks. (if not kept inside)
And it looks like they'll start soon making even tractors from it!


For addition to these biodegradable plastics they're also developing materials which could be eat for food packing.
(lot of food packings have other packing inside "outer shell")



OFF-TOPIC

Originally posted by shbaz
Unless you count vegetable oil as a petroleum product.

Reminded me about this:

It's a baffling phenomenon that in today's society an individual, who might in other circumstances be considered smart and wise, can sit down in front of a computer screen and instantly lose every last shred of common sense he ever possessed.
...
You will read stories in this file that will convince you that among the human race are human-shaped artichokes futilely attempting to break the highly regarded social convention that vegetables should not operate electronic equipment.

www.rinkworks.com...

Which is really true!
/OFF-TOPIC

My friend is helping to bring out the product. He brought some over to our house.
Its basically potatoe starch with all the moisture taken out of it. You can produce packages such as those peanuts, little cases you put ur chinese takeaways in and burger ones. I tried eating some, but it doesnt go down well with me. It kinda feels like cardboard in your mouth and tastes like paper but then it starts melting away like candy floss.
100% bio-deg, but it wuld be better if they made them in tastier flavours.

i never thought cars could me made out of potatoes

but also they might be bale to make cars out of yams

but very nice find indeed

Originally posted by quiksilver
My friend is helping to bring out the product. He brought some over to our house.
Its basically potatoe starch with all the moisture taken out of it. You can produce packages such as those peanuts, little cases you put ur chinese takeaways in and burger ones. I tried eating some, but it doesnt go down well with me. It kinda feels like cardboard in your mouth and tastes like paper but then it starts melting away like candy floss.
100% bio-deg, but it wuld be better if they made them in tastier flavours.

It can't be very strong if you can eat it!

[edit on 30-9-2004 by superduperman]