At last! Biodegradable plastic & no petroleum

Meet biodegradable plastic made from organic waste, sans petroleum. Micromidas bacteria produce high quality bacteria from orgnic waste. Source: Micromidas

First, two quotes stand out in the drafting of this report on making biodegradable plastic:

The first comes complements of Mario Vellandi, who presides over Melodies in Marketing. He sent a great story this way, with this slug:

“A non-petroleum plastic made from organic waste that completely degrades in six months to a year? What’s not to love?” Seriously, you rock Ryan.”

Okay, this sounds like a marvelous idea, especially considering how much petroleum-based plastic we use once, only to turn around and toss it out into landfills.

That led to watching this 6:04 video of Ryan Smith presenting as a social innovation fellow at PopTech 2010, pitching the company he helped co-found, Micromidas, where he serves as chief technical officer.

Very much worth watching!

Micromidas processing

At Micromidas, a team of entrepreneurial engineers and chemists has found microbes, when placed in a reactor that can produce high-quality plastic from organic waste, sans any petroleum additives to the formula. Best news of all, the product degrades in less than a year.

This leads to the second quote. Smith identified the problem with waste management with stunning accuracy as he spoke about how people have traditionally tossed something away. Smith said, “What we’re finding is that there is no away. There’s just somewhere else.”

Citing the huge costs involved in digging for oil to produce plastic, Smith said: “Everything you need to make plastic is actually here up on the surface of the earth. All the ingredients of sewage (free available carbon) have what you need to, make plastic.”

Micromidas, based in West Sacramento, refers to itself as a provider of microbial biorefinery technology for wastewater treatment. Last year, the Artemis Project, a consulting practice focused on 21st century water management, selected the company as one of the Top 50 Water Innovation Leaders.

Innovative companies like Micromidas may soon be drivers in how new biodegradable plastics are manufactured and used. They also may help repower our efforts for economic recovery.