A while ago now, I was watching some show about 'amazing inventions' on [I believe] the Discovery Channel. There was some part time inventor/part time professor who developed a method of converting all sorts of organic waste into disposable plates, cups, and eating utensils. He used rice hulls, soybeans, stuff like that, mixed with cardboard, paper or wood pulp, all things commonly thrown out as waste, and using an organic binder (glue) he developed, pressed this pulp into plates, cups, forks, spoons, and knives at high pressures and temperatures.
After they cured, they were as resistant to breakage when dropped or crushed as plastic, had a shelf life of years, and could withstand being immersed in 160'F water for a minimum of one hour before beginning to degrade in strength or deforming. Within 24 hours at this temperature, they had degraded back into a lumpy pulp. When filled with cold or luke warm beverages, the cups would last all day.
Most people thought they were plastic when allowed to test these items. This organic 'plastic' was sanitary, which is always a concern with products containing a high organic content. In a moist and warm landfill, it would take them some time to break down; a few months vs. a few thousand years with plastic. He was reasonably confident that it could be mass produced at a reasonable cost that would be competitive, although not quite as cheap, as plastic.
I wonder what happened to the good professor and his idea? Think he went the way of the 100MPG carburetor? Some plastics company give him a pair of cement shoes for Christmas?
As a side note: the 100MPG carburetor is an urban legend. Oh sure, you can easily make a 100MPG carburetor, but it wouldn't sufficiently power anything heavier than a motorcycle. You can calculate the amount of energy that is available to be extracted from gasoline with a high degree of accuracy, and there is no way you can get 100MPG from a carburetor if it has to power something the size and weight of the average passenger car.
After they cured, they were as resistant to breakage when dropped or crushed as plastic, had a shelf life of years, and could withstand being immersed in 160'F water for a minimum of one hour before beginning to degrade in strength or deforming. Within 24 hours at this temperature, they had degraded back into a lumpy pulp. When filled with cold or luke warm beverages, the cups would last all day.
Most people thought they were plastic when allowed to test these items. This organic 'plastic' was sanitary, which is always a concern with products containing a high organic content. In a moist and warm landfill, it would take them some time to break down; a few months vs. a few thousand years with plastic. He was reasonably confident that it could be mass produced at a reasonable cost that would be competitive, although not quite as cheap, as plastic.
I wonder what happened to the good professor and his idea? Think he went the way of the 100MPG carburetor? Some plastics company give him a pair of cement shoes for Christmas?
As a side note: the 100MPG carburetor is an urban legend. Oh sure, you can easily make a 100MPG carburetor, but it wouldn't sufficiently power anything heavier than a motorcycle. You can calculate the amount of energy that is available to be extracted from gasoline with a high degree of accuracy, and there is no way you can get 100MPG from a carburetor if it has to power something the size and weight of the average passenger car.
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