Written by Aditi Justa

IBM took its efforts to do its bit for the environment to another level with the announcement of the discovery of a method to make green plastic. The company proclaimed on Tuesday that researchers have come up with a way to make eco-friendly plastic from plants, which could substitute petroleum-based products that are harmful to the environment. The “green chemistry” breakthrough using “organic catalysts” results in plastic that is capable of being recycled again and again, unlike the petroleum-based plastic made using metal oxide catalysts that can be recycled only once.

This breakthrough that promises biodegradable plastics made in an energy-efficient way has been said to herald an era of sustainability for the plastics industry by Almaden and Stanford University researchers. According to IBM, plant plastic could also be made biocompatible in order to improve the targeting of drugs in bodies, such as cancer medicines aimed at killing cancer cells but sparing healthy ones. The company also aims to bring plant plastic into use for making car parts that are more affordable as compared to the ones made from petroleum-based plastic. In order to put the discovery to work in the recycling of plastics used in food and beverage containers, IBM is working with scientists at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

Source: http://www.greendiary.com/entry/ibm-develops-earth-friendly-plastic-using-plants/

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