Mexican scientist develops biodegradable plastic from cactus

Now this might be the solution to all that plastic polluting our land and oceans! Sandra Pascoe Ortiz, an engineer at the University of the Valley of Atemajac, has developed a plastic-like material from prickly pear cactus juice that is completely biodegradable and even safe to ingest.

This new plastic alternative, mostly comprised of juiced cactus leaves, rapidly biodegrades and doesn’t require crude oil like traditional plastics do – a potentially less harmful way to package food and other goods.

“It’s a non-toxic product,” Sandra Ortiz told the BBC. “All the materials we use can be ingested both by humans or animals. And they wouldn’t cause any harm.”

That means even if the fake plastics make their way into the ocean, they’ll either feed the fishes or dissolve instead of hurting wildlife.

Read more here: https://futurism.com/the-byte/biodegradable-plastic-cactus-juice