Production of biodegradable plastics from sucrose in Brazil

According to local media reports, Institute of technology, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Institute of biomedical research and sugarcane ethanol cooperative in Sao Paulo region cooperate to ferment sugar with alkaline natural bacteria to produce polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a kind of polymer of polyhydroxyfatty acid ester (PHA) family, which has similar physical and mechanical properties with synthetic resin, namely polypropylene, and can quickly Degradation will not cause pollution, which is good for environmental protection With the help of researchers from the Federal University of San Carlos, they have developed a technology to produce small cylindrical pellets composed of polyhydroxybutyrate and natural fiber, which is a raw material for the production of plastic tableware The mixing of polyhydroxybutyrate and plant fiber can reduce the cost The cost of polypropylene is about $2 per kilogram and polyhydroxybutyrate is about $5 per kilogram If it is mixed with sawdust, the product cost will be reduced and special characteristics will be given to the product Polyhydroxybutyrate is a solid raw material, which can be used for producing hot injection products, such as bottle caps, pens, toys, food boxes and cosmetic boxes, etc., and can also be pressed into thin sheets and fiberboards to meet the needs of the automotive industry, and foam plastics can also be produced It takes 100 years for traditional plastics to degrade Products made from polyhydroxybutyrate can decompose within 12 months, and only water and carbon dioxide are released.