{"id":27427,"date":"2025-07-18T19:14:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T19:14:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=27427"},"modified":"2025-07-18T19:28:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T19:28:59","slug":"researchers-unveil-new-method-to-turn-food-waste-into-biodegradable-plastic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/researchers-unveil-new-method-to-turn-food-waste-into-biodegradable-plastic\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovative Process Converts Food Waste Into Biodegradable Plastic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A team at Binghamton University has pioneered a method to turn food waste into biodegradable plastic, potentially revolutionizing waste management and reducing plastic pollution.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Amid rising concerns over food waste and plastic pollution, researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York, have made a groundbreaking advancement: converting food waste into biodegradable plastic. This innovative process has the potential to significantly address two pressing environmental challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 30% to 40% of the nation&#8217;s food supply ends up being wasted, contributing to methane and carbon dioxide emissions from landfills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simultaneously, plastic waste continues to accumulate globally, raising health concerns about microplastics in our ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine transforming a portion of this food waste into biodegradable plastic \u2014 an eco-friendly solution that could mitigate waste and reduce plastic pollution. The pioneering research team, led by doctoral candidate Tianzheng Liu along with Sha Jin, a professor of biomedical engineering, and Kaiming Ye, a SUNY Distinguished Professor and Chair of biomedical engineering, has <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.biortech.2025.132719\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">published<\/a> their fundamental findings in the journal Bioresource Technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBioresource Technology is a high-quality journal, so being published quickly speaks to the importance of this research,\u201d Jin said in a news release. \u201cThe reviewers commented that \u2018the manuscript demonstrates significant scientific merit, novelty and environmental relevance.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This research builds on Jin\u2019s initial interest sparked by a 2022 grant from New York State to explore food waste utilization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe can utilize food waste as a resource to convert into so many industrial products, and biodegradable polymer is just one of them,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team aims not only to valorize food waste but also to lower the manufacturing cost of eco-friendly polymers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The current production of biodegradable plastics is costly due to the need for refined sugar substrates and pure cultures of microorganisms. The Binghamton team addressed this by feeding <em>Cupriavidus necator<\/em> bacteria with lactic acid fermented from food waste, combined with ammonium sulfate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These bacteria synthesize polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) plastic, which can be harvested and molded into various biodegradable products. Notably, approximately 90% of the PHA produced by the bacteria can be retrieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Liu, whose background is in stem cell research, found transitioning to this project challenging but rewarding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe bioconversion of food waste into organic acids was relatively easy. Cultivation of the plastic-producing bacteria was hard, because at the beginning I didn\u2019t have experience with bacteria fermentation for producing biopolymer,\u201d he said in the news release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, perseverance paid off as the team fine-tuned the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Integral to their success was the support from Sodexo and Binghamton University Dining Services, which supplied the necessary food waste. Jin points out that SUNY&#8217;s policy against landfilling food waste and the University&#8217;s sustainable practices helped shape their initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The research also addressed practical questions for scaling up, such as the feasibility of storing food waste for a week without affecting the bioconversion process and the flexibility needed for different types of food waste. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe discovered that the process is very robust, as long as we have different types of food mixed in at the same ratio,\u201d Jin added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In an innovative twist, the team is developing the solid residue left from fermentation into organic fertilizer, proposing a more sustainable alternative to conventional chemical fertilizers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking forward, Jin aims to scale up the process, seeking further grant funding or industrial partnerships to expand biodegradable plastic production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This breakthrough could pave the way for sustainable waste management practices and reduce the environmental impact of both food waste and plastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:14px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.binghamton.edu\/news\/story\/5671\/binghamton-university-researchers-develop-process-to-turn-food-waste-into-biodegradable-plastic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Binghamton University<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amid rising concerns over food waste and plastic pollution, researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York, have made a groundbreaking advancement: converting food waste into biodegradable plastic. This innovative process has the potential to significantly address two pressing environmental challenges. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 30% to 40% of the nation&#8217;s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,17],"tags":[348],"class_list":["post-27427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sustainability","category-tech","tag-binghamton-university"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Amid rising concerns over food waste and plastic pollution, researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York, have made a groundbreaking advancement: converting food waste into biodegradable plastic. This innovative process has the potential to significantly address two pressing environmental challenges. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 30% to 40% of the nation&#8217;s&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27427"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27448,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27427\/revisions\/27448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}