A new study has shown that it may soon be possible to make chairs, synthetic rugs and plastic bags from cocoa, rice and vegetable waste.
Researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology found the films made by mixing an organic acid with parsley and spinach stems, and husks from rice and cocoa pods showed a promising range of traits from brittle and rigid to soft and stretchable, which is similar to commercial plastics.
This novel process could make it possible to replace some of the non-degrading polymers with the present bioplastics obtained from agro-waste, and help in saving petroleum, which is a nonrenewable source.
The study has appeared in ACS journal Macromolecules.