Not all alternatives to using natural resources are actually conserving energy and reducing pollution, according to a study conducted by Tillman Gerngross, assistant professor of Biochemical Engineering at the Thayer School of Engineering.
Gerngross' study, which compared the indirect fossil fuel used to turn corn into plastic and the direct fuel used in conventional chemical methods of producing plastic, discovered that the process of transforming corn into plastic consumes significantly more energy than the traditional method.
This conclusion puts a "damper" on continued research into the feasibility of using plant-based plastics instead of chemical-based plastic, said Gerngross, who has spent the last eight years involved in research in polymers or plastics.
Yet, he also indicated that while it eliminated one method of using corn as an alternative source of producing plastics, it does not eliminate other methods. He is currently involved in research using polylactic acid, and his findings will be published within a year.
While research into new methods of recycling and the use of renewable resources in general has become a major national endeavor, many recent studies have focused on attempting to find alternative ways to produce plastic, the manufacturing of which relies heavily upon such non-renewable resources as petroleum.
One of the most-popularly researched possibilities for replacing fossil fuel as the basis for making plastics has been using plants, which can be biologically changed into plastic and also are fully biodegradable.
Gerngross came to the Thayer School a year ago after working in the biochemical industry and is currently teaching Introduction to Biotechnology.
He will be speaking in a Jones Seminar at the Thayer School of Engineering on Friday, October 1 entitled "How 'Green' is 'Green' Manufacturing?" at which time he will further explore the issue of using biologically produced materials to replace chemically synthesized products and will examine the processes and results involved in his research into transforming corn into plastic.
