A team led by physicist Alejandro Müller, of the polymer research department at Venezuela's Simón Bolívar University, is working on a new biodegradable plastic based on a mixture of polycaprolacton and manioc fiber (Manihot esculenta). The two materials “are as different as oil and water, but by making them compatible with a simple mixture, without many additives, we can achieve a type of plastic that, although costly, is more environmentally friendly,” Müller told Tierramérica.

The product, “developed as a plastic packing material, can degrade once it is thrown out as organic garbage and become part of the biomass. The ideal is for everything to be biodegradable,” he said.

The new plastic can be used for manufacturing medical supplies to plates and utensils. “We are still in the laboratory phase, but industries are already showing interest,” said the physicist.