Chemists Sweeten Plastics For Faster Diodegradation

Makarand writes "Nature has an online article describing attempts of chemists to create tweaked versions polythene, polystyrene and polypropylene that would rapidly biodegrade in a landfill in the presence of soil bacteria. Their technique adds sugars to the polymer chains, like pendants on a necklace, sweetening them in the process and making them palatable to soil bacteria. Less than 3% of the final plastic would be sugar. However, soil bacteria open the chains when they feed on the sugar kicking off the decay process."

Comments

A cheaper solution

[the_other_one]

Cut plastics out of packaging. Stop making disposeable products.

Is this biodegradeable plastic research really another attempt at planned obsolesence?

Re:word play

[AJWM]

No, no, read the word again.

It is as spelled: diodegradation -- the process of grading a collection of diodes, e.g. sorting them according to quality.

Although I'm not sure what that has to do with rottable plastic...