Slashdot Mirror
Plastic Made From Corn
Dekaner writes "A major supplier of plastic products in the U.S. will soon open a new factory that makes products from corn. The Cargill Dow factory in Blair, Nebraska will convert corn into a biodegradable substance called NatureWorks PLA. It will be used to make soft-drink cups, salad containers and to fill pillows and comforters. The corn-derived polymer will compete directly with products made from petroleum."
Now when you find corn kernels floating around in your toilet, you'll have to try to remember when you last ate corn or plastic. Too much to think about when most folks are on the toilet.
If I ever have to eat my hat because I've opened my big mouth at the wrong time, I want my hat to be made of this.
Anything that lessens our dependency on oil is a win for everyone. I long for the day we can stop worrying about what the middle eastern countries think.
Would it be proper to scream "Cornholio!!!" when you find a hole punched through a corn-based plastic container?
Starlink.
Since we can't eat the stuff, why not package our food in it?
--jdp Maintainer of VisEmacs
I think the biggest advantage that this has over other "Natural" alternatives is that it will be easily converted to by polymer manufacturers. This article talks about how the NatureWorks stuff is delivered to manufacturers. It comes in small plastic pellets that manufacturers are used to handling. There are some adjustments to be made, the article doesn't mention what they are, but the plants will not have to completly retool to begin using this. I suppose that if they could tool their plants in such a way as to use either the NatureWorks or petroleum based pellets, they could play the two technologies off each other and lower the cost of producing things. Not that we'd see any price reduction, but the thought is nice.
THIS SPACE FOR RENT
Because what we need in this country is to practice more monoculture with corn.
I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
Damn, what a sound bite! He's 100% correct, of course, but it's still amazing what one sentence can do to sway the hearts of people. His timing couldn't be better. I'm feeling patriotic already! Too bad I can't digest corn, or I'd have some tonight.
And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
corn products are currently being researched for creation of ultra-efficient hybrid vehicles.
They have been making "plastic" grocery bags from processed corn for almost 10 years now. The next time you shop, check the fine print on the bag to see if the bag is biodegradable. And No, it's not the print that talks about how plastic bags can be used as a population control device...
:-)
Ditto about the biodegradable packing peanuts.
IMHO, the more we can use renewable recyclable technologies, the better off we are. I for one would love to see fossil fuels go the way of the dinosaur
Another economic benefit that people may not think about is that grocery stores can throw packaged foods into the compost. At this point in time, they seem to only be able to throw away unpackaged fruits and vegetables. In other words, they aren't going to unpackage something to compost it.
This will provide more compost which could mean richer soils and better crops.
testing out my trending skills
But better would be working from a plants which require less chemical (read cash) inputs than corn.
These plants are called weeds.
Isn't Nebraska awash in feral hemp?
Ben Masel: 51,282 votes for US Senate in the Wisconsin Democratic Primary
(cue Music) Da Da DA!!!
It's the Return of the Man From N.O.R.M.A.L!!!!
Take you legalization crap somewhere else.
I remember many (10?) years ago a company was promoting a corn-based, plastic grocery bag which they said would deteriorate and disolve in a few months when exposed to sunlight and water.
Iowa City Magazine (now defunct) decided to test it and attached one to a post in back of their offices. Each month they published a photo of the bag and reported on it's condition. After a year they decided that apart from some slight tearing of the bag by the wind where it was attached to the post, there was no sign of any deterioration.
None.
On the other hand, I regularly get shipments of equipment packed in biodegradable corn starch 'peanuts' which dissolve rapidly when exposed to water. Easy to dispose of I guess, but more than once I've had UPS drop off a package on my doorstep in the rain and I come home to a box of soggy, goo-encrusted equipment. YUCK!
Beta sux! Join the Slashcott! http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=4760465&cid=46173047
When I first read that headline, I read "Corn made from plastic". I had that back in elementary school. :) Plastic made from corn, though... that's cool.
... Where everything is made from corn.
who wants to bet this will turn into the next espestoes:)
The Truth: There is no string:)
Don't worry! Everything is getting nicely out of control....
As an engineer in the plastic injection molding industry, I have one word for you... Cool!
However, I don't see this really taking a hold in what I do. There are so many different types of plastics, and they have many different purposes. What properties does the corn stuff have? What kind of plastics will it replace. Right now, we use Polyproplene (PP) for low cost, low temp, low stress applications. For harsher conditions we move to Nylon 66 (PA66). For even more strength we can get it glass filled. Of course I am sticking only to Semi-crystalline Thermoplastics, because that is all I am familiar with. I am not even going to talk about Amorphous or Termoset plastics. What I am trying to say is that there are so many different types of plastics, I don't know where the corn plastics fit in, or if they would be useful to us. The article didn't give that kind of information.
just a thought.
"...At the end of the day"..."when everyone goes home, you're stuck with yourself." RIP Layne Staley
Potato starch is also used, look here
Cloning versus sexual reproduction initially favors the clones, then are eventually no longer suited to the environment, preditors, or disease. It's a given and any planing, economic, or otherwise must take this into consideration or lose big time. You even see it in several animals like some species of fish and snails, perhaps others. But with the animals, especially, disease usually wipes out most of the clones.
Corporations may lose out, but the rise of interest among the general population in "heirloom" produce is an indication that geneticly diverse crops are not gone yet. Unfortunately, a by product of genetically modified crops is often a very inbred gene pool because not enough generations have gone by to ensure wide genetic diversity.
With the corn, if it's made a priority, it's quite possible to maintain high yields and a varied gene pool. However, it's still corn. I'm sure other crops can be used for plastic using similar proceses. There's probably quite a few tons of cellulose in the stalks and chaff left over from a nation's yearly wheat, oat, rice or barley harvest.
Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.