US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed a biodegradable plastic, dubbed a thermoplastic, can be used in disposable food containers.
USDA have developed the thermoplastic in collaboration with Professor Jinwen Zhang of Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, Liu and his colleagues. It is manufactured from both sugar beet pulp, which is the leftover residue from sugar extraction and a biodegradable polymer called polylactic acid/PLA using a twin screw extruder.
Extrusion is said to be a cost-effective manufacturing process that is used in large-scale production of food, plastics and composite materials.
According to the USDA, the new thermoplastic is cost-competitive and is used in petrochemical plastics.
Source:
http://packagingmaterials.packaging-business-review.com/news/us-department-of-agriculture-produces-biodegradable-plastic-for-disposable-food-containers-180113
