2002 Annual Report
Research
Accelerated Technology Transfer for Starch-Based Plastics
Kim Stelson, Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Mrinal Bhattacharya, Professor
Vaughn Voller, Professor, Civil Engineering
Funding Source
Legislative Council on Minnesota Resources (LCMR)
Objective
A patented process to make starch-based plastics has been developed at
the University of Minnesota. Our starch-based plastics are biodegradable
and can be made from corn, wheat, or soybeans. The purpose of this project
is to help move this technology out of the laboratory and into everyday
life. We will raise public awareness of biodegradable plastics by distributing
spoons made of University of Minnesota starch-based plastic with milkshakes
sold by the Gopher Dairy Club at the Minnesota State Fair. We will also
distribute literature describing the benefits of this new technology.
Project Description
Disposal of single-use plastic items is a major source of environmental
damage from incineration and landfills. Of the 50 million pounds of plastic
used annually in the United States, 16 million pounds is used once and
then discarded. One million pounds of these single-use plastics are food
service utensils (knives, forks, spoons, plates, cups, etc.). At the present
time, most cutlery (knives, forks, and spoons) is made of polystyrene.
Polystyrene is made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. It is not
biodegradable, and thus remains in landfills indefinitely. The incineration
process of polystyrene generates dioxin, a known carcinogen.
By using University of Minnesota starch-based plastic, we replace imported
petroleum with domestically produced grain. If University of Minnesota
starch-based plastic replaced synthetic plastic for food service utensils
worldwide, it would increase demand for corn by about 25% of the usual
annual corn crop for Minnesota. University of Minnesota starch-based plastics
have the potential of creating entirely new leading-edge businesses in
Minnesota for the future “green economy.” These plastics are
biodegradable, thus eliminating litter, landfills, and incineration. There
is nothing comparable on the market today.
Results
Initial experiments were conducted to determine the properties of various blends of natural and synthetic polyester to evaluate the suitability of various formulations for use in ice-cream spoons. Based on initial studies involving pressure drop, cycle time, and machine size etc. a two cavity mold has been designed. We have molded approximately 60,000 milk-shake spoons which were used during the Minnesota State Fair by the University of Minnesota Gopher Dairy Club.