In preparation for making environmentally friendly plastics, experts have taken important steps
Japanese companies are partnering with a leading university to develop a new type of plastic that could help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
The group aims to develop a technology to make large-scale plastics from organic matter known as biomass, a key ingredient that comes from micro-algae euglena.
For this purpose, a consortium has been formed between Seiko Upson, NEC, the University of Tokyo and a new company called Euglena. Bioplastics will be made from a material called paramylon, which is obtained from Euglena.
According to researchers, euglena, which absorbs carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, believes it could be a more environmentally friendly alternative to ordinary plastics derived from fossil fuels.
Large amounts of carbon dioxide are emitted during its production process. Sources say the consortium hopes to produce about 200,000 tonnes of biomass environmentally friendly plastics annually by 2030.
