Cows are put out to pasture at Daegwallyeong Pass in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, northeastern South Korea, on May 31, 2021. (Yonhap)
DAEJEON, Oct. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean researchers have succeeded in producing biodegradable plastic using radiated livestock excrement.
The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute said Thursday it transferred the technology to a local eco-friendly plastic maker for 30 million (US$25,630) won and a royalty of 2.5 percent of sales.
Amid a surge in plastic consumption worldwide, biomass plastic that can be completely biodegraded is drawing significant attention as an alternative solution.
In the process of making biomass plastic, however, chemical additives are used to ensure the cohesion of materials. This method, accordingly, has limits, including environmental pollution and high costs.
The research team succeeded in enhancing the cohesion of materials by adding manure powder made of livestock excrement into biomass plastic and then exposing it to radiation.
The newly-developed biomass plastic can be completely degraded in the ground by microorganisms, with strength and elasticity more than 30 percent higher than existing biomass plastics.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
