this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2024
168 points (97.7% liked)
Science
3657 readers
9 users here now
General discussions about "science" itself
Be sure to also check out these other Fediverse science communities:
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
What could this genuinely be used for? Wouldn't you have to use it on stuff that will be discarded before it starts breaking up a few months in?
I think you're missing the compost part. Wood will break down in a compost, yet you can build houses from it. Indoor furniture made from wood will happily serve you for decades. Same with this biodegradable plastic: It'll have a shelf life of decades or even centuries. When shredded and composted it will break down. This material is likely not a good candidate for the wheel housing on your car, but there's no reason not to use it, for example, for a car's interior.