By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on August 22nd,2010%  Recently the bioplastics that is most often seen in the press is Poly(lactic) acid,or PLA. It is best known for being made of non-petroleum materials,biodegradable and causing issues with existing waste disposal infrastructure. It is also being used in several bioresorbable medical implants. In fact a lot of people seem to associate bioplastics with a material that degrades in a reasonable period of time either through biodegradation,oxy-degradation or composting. However a bioplastic recently being noticed does not degrade. They are essentially traditional plastics made of renewable feedstock. These plastics are 100% recyclable in mainstream recycling their . . . →Read More:Plastics from Renewable Feedstocks By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on August 20th,2010%  Companies are starting to understand the impact their material choices have on the environment. Papermate,known as a pen manufacturer,has recently come out with a pen with components that will biodegrade in about a year when buried in soil or placed in an industrial compost facility. These pens,known as Papermate Biodegradable,require some user disassembly before disposal. The biodegradable components of the pen are molded using a material branded Mirel. It is a biodegradable corn-based bioplastic made from renewable resources. Mirel is a PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) plastic as opposed to the better known PLA. From the Mirel Website: . . . →Read More:Papermate Plant a Pen Challenge By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on August 18th,2010% As people are becoming more aware of environmental issues,companies are making more efforts to appear eco-friendly. Products are covered in marketing claims to make them appear more green. But products that claim to be recyclable or better for the environment are actually regulated by federal regulations. Bioplastics,biodegradable plastics and compostable plastics must be tested to validate claims that they will biodegrade under the conditions that the company advertises. In the United States the Federal Trade Commission controls environmental claims in the US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) section 16,part 260 (16 CFR 260) –Guides for . . . →Read More:Federal Regulations for Bioplastics By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on August 14th,2010%  This short video shows a little of Cereplast‘s bioplastic resin manufacturing lines. A few points to take away from the video: Bioplastics cost about 20% more than regular plastics Most are currently based on corn and tapioca If they take off,bioplastics may put stress on the cost of food Cereplast hopes to release an algae based bioplastic later this year. Cereplast is a California based company. They currently make a compostable grade plastic for injection molding,extrusion blow molding,papper coating,extrusion foam,thermoforming and profile extrusion. They also make a hybrid resin with 50% bio-based material . . . →Read More:A bioplastics manufacturing video By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on August 13th,2010%  Bioplastics from renewable resources often get slammed for taking materials from possible food sources. So I was very excited when I found out about a project in the running for the Pepsi Refresh Project:bioplastics from chicken feathers. This material uses a chicken meat production byproduct to make a keratin based biodegradable plastic. The material saves feathers from going into landfills and then can decompose. The Eastern Bioplastics is seeking $50,000 from the refresh project,be sure to vote here. Modern Plastics Worldwide magazine recently wrote a piece about Keratin based plastics and their front runner Eastern Bioplastics. . . . →Read More:Keratin plastics –Feathers Tickle Imaginations By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on August 11th,2010%  Just like recycling is useless unless we create a market for post-recycled product. Bioplastics are useless unless we establish the proper waste management infrastructure to allow them to decompose. When Sunchips released their new compostable chip bags earlier this year,it was the talk of the environmental blogs. These bags could decompose in as little as 14 weeks under optimal compost conditions. Credit:Myself Just one problem,most Americans do not compost. I have the luxury of living in a rural area where I can have a compost bin in a location that does not bother my household . . . →Read More:Change the world by Changing your Community By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on August 7th,2010%  Coronary artery disease affects millions of Americans. It occurs when Arteries are blocked or narrowed by cholesterol or plaque which reduces blood flow to the heart. It can lead to heart attacks. We currently have minimally invasive procedures to unblock these arteries. One of the methods is to install a stent. A stent is a tiny wire mesh tube expanded in the damaged artery using a balloon catheter. After stent installation the balloon is deflated and removed which restores blood flow. Some stents deliver drugs to the artery which reduce the scar tissue formation. A video of a stent . . . →Read More:Bioabsorbable Stents Will Save Lives By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on August 2nd,2010% The Pepsi Refresh Project is a competition of ideas to help change the world. Pepsi will distribute over $1,300,000 every month to the ideas that receive the most votes. They actually have a separate category for ideas that will help the Gulf oil spill. Categories of entry are Art &Culture,Health,The Planet,Food &Shelter,Neighborhoods,and Education. And companies and individuals are entering looking for $5k,$25k,$50k and $250k. Participants can vote once every 24 hours. I wanted to feature a few of the ideas that are relevant to this blog. Currently in the Running . . . →Read More:Good ideas in the running for the Pepsi Refresh Project | CreditsBlog design elements by Kate HadfieldUsed as non-profit generating blog TOU |
