Binghamton University researchers use food waste to produce bioplastic

In New York state, a team of researchers at Binghamton University is doing pioneering research on the use of food waste to produce bioplastic, and they recently published a paper in the journal Bioresource Technology offering fundamental findings for any company interested in scaling up the process.

Current biodegradable plastic production can be costly because it relies on refined sugar substrates and pure cultures of microorganisms. As part of this research, the Binghamton team fed Cupriavidus necator bacteria with lactic acid fermented from food waste (which served as a necessary carbon source) and additional ammonium sulfate (as a nitrogen source).

The bacteria synthesize polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) plastic as a means of storing carbon and energy. About 90% of the PHA that the bacteria make can be harvested and shaped into biodegradable packaging and other products.