Self-destructable wood from rice hulls

Synthetic plastic chairs, synthetic carpets and biodegradable plastic bags in the future will be made from waste rather than oil.

The formula for making new biodegradable plastics. (Photo: Dailynewsen)

Researchers at the Institute of Technology in Italy have announced the creation of a cheap, eco-friendly bioplastic that can break down faster than traditional plastics, opening the possibility of replacing some plastics made from Polymers are hard to decay today, Nature World News said.

In 2012, plastic production reached 288 million tons worldwide. Synthetic resins can last for hundreds, even thousands of years, contain toxic components for the environment and human health. In addition, plastic is now made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource.

During the experiment, scientists used an organic acid to treat cellulose (cellulose is the richest polymer in nature, the main structural component of plants). They mixed the acid with parsley, spinach, rice husks and cocoa husks, and poured the mixture into the test plate. Some time later, a plastic formed with features such as crunchy, soft and elastic - like commercial plastics. The results are published in the journal Macromolecules, a publication of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

"This opens up the possibility of replacing some non-biodegradable polymers with bioplastics made from agricultural waste, but more needs to be done to determine the potential of this new product. " said the researchers.