Pinene – the natural chemical behind the ‘Christmas smell’ of pine trees – has been used by researchers to develop a renewable plastic. Traditionally a waste product from the paper industry, pinene could now be used to make plastic for a range of applications including food packaging, plastic bags and even medical implants.
Plastics are currently developed from unsustainable fossil fuels, but according to the researchers from the University of Bath, that could be about to change.
The Director of the University’s Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies (CSCT), Professor Matthew Davidson, said the research is part of a wider project that is looking at using bio-based chemicals like pinene as a sustainable starting material for making a range of useful products.
“This reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and provides a renewable feedstock that has the potential to revolutionise the chemical industry,” said Prof. Davidson.
The research is still in its early stages with only a few grams of plastic made so far, but the researchers are aiming to scale up the process to produce larger quantities in the future.
Source: University of Bath
Image credit: Jeja
