In Mexico, of the 100 million tons of potato produced annually, only 33 percent is recycled. In addition, according to the National Institute of Recyclers (INARE), in 2012, only 67 million 810 thousand 700 tons of waste were recycled.
Therefore, contamination due to disposable products has become an environmental problem. To reverse this situation, students from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) created a bioplastic from potato peel that takes four to five months to degrade.
According to the creators of this proposal, Gabriela García Orozco, Lucero Guerra Tovar, Joel Sánchez Díaz and Yoxan Solís Vázquez, students of the Center for Scientific and Technological Studies (CECyT) 10 “Carlos Vallejo Márquez”, the bioplastic focuses on giving a solution for reducing solid urban waste.
"The project was born due to the high demand that exists for plastics made with synthetic polymers and an alternative of a bioplastic made from potato peel is proposed, which transforms organic waste into products of common use for the country," reported Joel Sánchez Diaz.
This prototype seeks to replace frequently used polymers, which take a few hundred thousand years to degrade, have many pollutants and generate repercussions for organisms present in soils.
"It is a biopolymer made with organic waste such as starch from the potato peel and cornstarch, which makes the product friendly to the environment," said Solís Vázquez, a student in the technical career of Environmental Diagnosis and Improvement .
They assured that the product can withstand a drink with a temperature of 150 degrees Celsius; the conventional ones, such as coffee and tea, go from 35 to 45. Therefore, there is certainty that an article made with bioplastic will not be destroyed.
The project designers indicated that, from production to product degradation, it does not cause any negative impact on the environment. It has no flavor and its current color is orange, but it can be produced without it. (ID Agency)
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