An idea i had for a enviromentally friendly, oil-free sourse of plastic.

Odin2005

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Fri Jun-02-06 03:29 PM
Original message

An idea i had for a enviromentally friendly, oil-free sourse of plastic.

Genetically engineered chemoautotrophic bacteria that would make plastics from atmospheric CO2. Would it work?

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MADem

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Fri Jun-02-06 03:52 PM
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1. Off to the lab with you, and report back postehaste with your results!!!!

Seriously, I have no idea what you are talking about, but anything that reduces the amount of frigging plastic everywhere, and provides a more environmental alternative, is a good thing...

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Sammy Pepys

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Fri Jun-02-06 03:52 PM
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2. I don't think....

...you'd be able to produce enough plastic fast enough to make it viable.

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90-percent

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Fri Jun-02-06 03:59 PM
Response to Reply #2

4. Henry Ford

Wasn't he making artifical plastic out of soybeans back in the 1930's?

Wasn't he making pretty much everything out of soybeans at one time or another?

-85% Jimmy

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benburch

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Fri Jun-02-06 09:33 PM
Response to Reply #4

7. I believe you can make Bakelite from soybeans.

Looked a bit and fount it;

"One of these polymers, a soy oil�divinylbenzene (DVB) copolymer that resembles bakelite, consists of black, brittle-looking rectangular fragments. Omitting the DVB produces a rubbery brown polymer, and using both styrene and DVB comonomers with soy or corn oil produces a relatively flexible brown or black material. A flexible sheet made of equal parts low-saturation soy oil and acrylonitrile is transparent and has a dark amber color."

http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/feature_pro.html?id=c373e9fbce18e8458f6a4fd8fe800100

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Master Mahon

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Fri Jun-02-06 03:59 PM
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3. How about making plastic

out of all of the tons of horseshit that's come out of the Bush administration over the last 6 years?? :+

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TreasonousBastard

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Fri Jun-02-06 04:04 PM
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5. If you can enough bacteria that...

make the hundreds of plastics that we use with the qualities and quantities necessary.

Meanwhile, there's coal.

And using less plastic.

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Random_Australian

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Fri Jun-02-06 09:22 PM
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6. Well, biology is not me thing, but I would recommend bieng careful with

the CO2 concentrations in the air. Don't go too far!

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Dead_Parrot

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Sat Jun-03-06 03:19 AM
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8. I don't see why not...

...plastics are just organic compounds like fuel hydrocarbons, and we know we can make them out of any old shit (literally) using organisms.

Indeed, given that we really just need materials with plastic properties we should have lots of scope for it...

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Odin2005

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Sat Jun-03-06 05:40 PM
Response to Reply #8

10. On a related note...

is there any research on plastics that are decay-resistant in normal conditions but will biodegrade in enviroments like compst piles?

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NNadir

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Sat Jun-03-06 03:16 PM
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9. Cellophane is derived from cellulose.

There are many other examples of polymers that can be derived from biogenic sources.

For many years furan, a key intermediate in many polymer applications, was made from corn cobs via the decarboyxlation of furfural, essentially dehydrated sugar. In modern times, furan is made via petroleum based chemistry from 1,4 butane diol, but in theory the switch back to the earlier industrial process is possible.

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benburch

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Sat Jun-03-06 07:08 PM
Response to Reply #9

11. And Rayon also from wood pulp. nt

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HiFructosePronSyrup

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Mon Jun-05-06 03:56 PM
Response to Original message

12. Not a new idea.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/459126.stm

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