“Dual Purpose” Plastics

Dr. Richard Gross, a professor of chemistry at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, New York is converting plant oils into “bioplastic” for packaging that can later be used as fuel. The Pentagon has awarded $2.34 million to improve on the process to make it commercial. This would be beneficial for the military, as it could reduce the amount of material it has to ship to soldiers at remote bases, because the plastic would have a dual duty. It would also reduce trash-disposal problems. The vegetable oils Dr. Gross utilizes are already used to make biodiesel and produce a flexible or rigid film for food packaging. Dr. Gross then uses a naturally occurring enzyme to break down the plastic into fuel using mild conditions, such as in the presence of lukewarm tap water. The enzyme, cutinase, is found in nature, made by parasite that eats through shiny surfaces of tree leaves. A gene-splicing company, DNA 2.0, has taken some of the DNA from the parasite and has spliced it into e.coli bacterium, to mass-produce the enzyme. Conversion occurs with the shredding of the plastic and immersion in water with a small amount of enzyme. In 3 to 5 days the biodiesel floats to the top and the process is complete. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) believes the resulting fuel can be poured directly into the fuel tank of a diesel generator to make electricity. The Pentagon calls it the Mobile Integrated Sustainable Energy Recovery Program (Miser) and I call it “Dual Purpose” for short. I guess we’ll see more of these biodiesels when they become price-competitive with diesel fuel from petroleum or with government subsidies in place.