Biodegradability request

2003/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Materialak
• Kimika
• Ingurumena

Numerous research is carried out in the field of biodegradable plastics and the latest innovation comes from India. There, the plastic has been added sugar so that the bacteria in the landfills eat it and destroy it. Indian researchers propose a new synthesis of polymers. In the long chains of these molecules, the idea is to chemically bind monosaccharides or disaccharides.

They add small amounts of glucose and sucrose to the polymerization process. The polymers formed in this synthesis are similar to those obtained in the conventional process, due to the low proportion of sugar units, but soil bacteria can initiate degradation from these units. At the moment, Indian researchers have managed to initiate a process of degradation.