Develop biodegradable household items from sugar and wood pulp

American scientists have created a material from sugar and wood pulp that can decompose at will to replace disposable plastic items.

In recent years, biodegradable materials developed from plants or other non-petroleum sources have grown extremely rapidly. For example, styrofoam coated goods are made of cornstarch, and some kitchen utensils are made of polymers derived from plant sugars.

Another potential hard material is from isomalt. Bakers often use isomalt to create beautiful but crunchy patterns to decorate desserts, which can dissolve in water very quickly. Therefore, scientists have sought to increase the hardness of isomalt by mixing it with natural substances to create a sturdy material that can decompose as desired.

One of the goals of this research is to find out whether small molecules can bond with additives to make useful materials, much like polymers bond with additives to make useful materials. into plastic. When conducting the test, the researchers heated isomalt to a liquid form and mixed it with cellulose, or a mixture of cellulose and sawdust, or with wood pulp to create three different materials. They are then put into industrial plastic manufacturing machines to form small particles, which are then pressed into various objects such as balls, dodecahedrons, chess pieces and flower pads.

The results of the test were that all additives doubled the hardness of isomalt, forming materials that are harder than plastic, PET and PVC. But these new materials are still lightweight and can dissolve in water after just a few minutes.

Additionally, plates made of the new material, when coated with food-grade shellac enamel and cellulose acetate, can withstand water for seven days. However, once broken or the paint layer is cracked, the disc quickly dissolves in water. The research team also repeated crushing, decomposing and recycling enameled and unglazed utensils into new utensils many times and the utensils were still as sturdy as the original.

According to Moi truong & Do thi