There’s a new plastic in town. It’s non-petroleum based, non-toxic, recyclable, and it grows on trees.
It’s based on lignin, a byproduct of paper-making, that is added to flax fibers, hemp fibers, and puppy dog tails (or something) to create a substance called Arboform which can be melted down and molded into just about anything.
Arboform is already being used in a number of products such as car parts, but until now it has been plagued by an unpleasant smell from the sulfur involved in the extraction of lignin.
Recently, German researchers have managed to get the sulfur content of Arboform down to about a tenth of normal levels, making it suitable for use in toys and other household items.
Looks like we’re set for plastic, at least until someone comes up with a cost-effective paper replacement.