Ravi Gupta tells Times of India that the bioplastic, polyhydroxy butyrate, has already been made from other raw materials, but often at higher cost. By identifying a PHB-accumulating bacteria, he was able to produce PHB using very low-cost cow manure. “Petroleum-based synthetic plastic is one of the most widely used materials in daily life, leading to the accumulation of non-degradable waste that remains in the environment for thousands of years and contributes to plastic-induced pollution, which is also a leading cause of global warming,” he added.
