The day is still a ways away that we’ll be able to walk into a hobby store and buy acrylic display cases that have been made from a renewable resource. However, biotechnology is slowly paving the way for an era where the computers we use for work, the sneakers that we wear for play, and the containers that we drink out of grow on trees. Scientists are continuing to work on improved methods of creating plastics and fuel from plant sources rather than petroleum.
Currently, bioplastics and biofuels are created when specific crops undergo chemical and physical processes to extract the sugars contained within. Manufacturers take these sugars and transform them into the end product.
Today’s bioplastic doesn’t offer the durability that consumers want from lasting products such as diecast car displays. Additionally, the process is still rather unwieldy and expensive. However, many hope that in the future, the plants themselves will shoulder some of the work. Biotechnology firms are working to genetically engineer plants that will streamline the biofuel manufacturing process. Such plants currently being worked on include corn and switch grass.
The hope is that not too far in the future, the cost of creating renewable fuels will be much lower, meaning that biodegradable plastic containers made from renewable plant sources could become the norm. However, in order for this to happen, farmers will need to be willing to make the switch to a crop that would be considered a riskier investment than what they are currently growing.
