Plastic from corn

Once a dream of researchers worldwide, naturally based materials, such as corn, sugar beets and organic matter, known as biomass, are gaining support as the raw materials for applications such as energy production, consumer goods packaging and even textiles.

The push for the use of biobased resources is gaining momentum from both the US government and industry sectors. It received a significant boost with the US Department of Energy's recent formation of the National Bioenergy Center, as well as the continued success of Cargill Dow LLC's technology to make commercial-scale plastic resins from simple plant sugars.

The newly formed National Bioenergy Center will focus on helping researchers tap into the power of biomass – generally defined as the earth's plant matter and its byproducts. It will provide research support to help industry develop clean energy technologies to benefit consumers and farmers. The overall goal is to help foster technological advances to address environmental issues and spur demand for US agricultural products.

According to the Department of Energy estimates, there is enough biomass to supply a significant portion of the US energy need. Furthermore, demand for biomass could generate as much as $20 billion a year in new revenue for farmers and rural communities. The Department of Energy also estimates that use of biomass could help reduce greenhouse emissions by up to 100 tons a year, or the equivalent of removing 70 million cars from the road.

One example of biobased research is NatureWorks PLA. This new polymer is derived entirely from annually renewable resources such as corn, sugar beets and cassava, and requires 20 to 50 percent less fossil fuel to make than comparable hydrocarbon-based plastics. In addition, it has the added environmental benefit of helping to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. This is because renewable resources, like corn, recycle the earth's carbon. Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere when growing the 'raw material' and the carbon is returned to the earth when PLA degrades after its usable life.

For information on the National Bioenergy Center visit www.eren.doe.gov/bioenergy_initiative/. To learn more about Cargill Dow's NatureWorks PLA, visit www.cdpoly.com.