FM GREEN UPDATE

摘要

While the amount of plastic in landfills continues to grow, researchers are making gains with a new kind of eco-friendly, biodegradable plastic that could not only benefit the environment but cut costs as well. Scientists at ETH Zurich have found a way to convert the glycerol produced when manufacturing first-generation biofuels into lactic acid, a key to creating more environmentally friendly bioplastic materials. Due to its growing abundance as waste, glycerol is an ideal candidate to replace sugar fermentation in the bioplastic production process. Research shows that not only does the new process reduce overall CO_2 emissions by 20%, but it could also increase production profitability up to 17 times over the current process.