Scott Munguía, student at the Instituto Tecnólogico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), has developed a new plastic production process using avocado seeds.
In a statement, the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) explained that this bioplastic degrades much faster than hydrocarbon-generated plastic and that, unlike other bioplastics produced from corn, this one is not obtained from a food source.
"The bioplastic has two fundamental characteristics: it is derived from plant sources and it is biodegradable, but it has the same properties as the plastic that we all know," he said.
The also founder of the company Biofase stressed that the product does not pollute the environment. "Currently our bioplastic degrades in 240 days, or maybe a little more, depending on the microbial content of the environment in which it is discarded."
The young university student noted that the environmental impact of plastic has become one of the greatest challenges for the world of science, since the degradation of this material, after being discarded, can take more than half a century.
The situation becomes alarming when one considers that the world production of this raw material amounted to 229 million tonnes by the end of 2013, according to the latest data from Plastics Europe, the European association representing manufacturers of plastic raw materials.
In Mexico, the company Global Polyolefins and Plastics estimates that the industry will have registered a 15% growth by 2020. This figure would mean an increase of almost 11 million tonnes in production capacity.
Such adverse circumstances, he said, make it essential for a plastic made from avocado seeds to gain relevance.
Source: lavozdemichoacan.com.mx