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A California-based company is working to make algae an answer to cut manufacturing pollution and reduce the amount of plastics that end up in the landfill.
Cereplast Inc. is in the process of developing technology to transform algae into bioplastics and aims to eventually supply algae for use as biomass.
Bioplastics are derived from organic sources like corn, pea starch, vegetable oil and microbes, as opposed to petroleum-based plastics. Some bioplastics are disposable and some are not, depending upon their degradability. Bioplastics are used for disposable items, such as packaging and utensils, and other nondisposable items such as cell phone casings and carpet fibers.
Cereplast currently uses corn starch, tapioca, wheat and potatoes to make sustainable plastics and will expand its family of products with algae-based resins that could serve as a substitute for 50 percent of the petroleum used in traditional plastics.
“Algae-based resins represent an outstanding opportunity for companies across the plastic supply chain to become more environmentally sustainable and reduce the industry's reliance on oil,” Frederic Scheer, Cereplast founder, chairman and CEO said. “We are still in the development phase, but we believe that this breakthrough technology could result in a significant new line of business in the years to come.”
Scheer foresees algae becoming a leading green resource for biofuels and bioplastics. Cereplast has taken steps with several companies planning to use algae to minimize the carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide gases from polluting smoke stacks. The company is also in negotiations with chemical conversion companies interested in converting algae biomass into biopolymers.
