To replace single-use plastics, the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, has come up with a bio-degradable polyurethane. The technology is available for transfer to industry.
IISc announced this in 2021, but has since refined the technology. Basically, the bio-degradable plastic is made from non-edible oils, such as castor oil or jatropha oil, mixed with cellulose from rice husk.
The product comes out as sheets but can be cut and made into bags.
The product is right now undergoing stability tests at the Central Institute of Petrochemical Engineering (CIPET), Chennai, but it has been tested in IISc labs and determined that it undergoes 30-40% degradation in four months.
Importantly, the bio-degradable plastic fully degrades and does not become only micro plastics.
It can be made for Rs 45-55 a kg, comparable to the prices of polyethylene.
For further details, contact:
Vijay Singh, IISc IPTeL @ 9945055112 or vijaysingh@iisc.ac.in
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