Plastics From the Prairie
By Jerry W. Kram
January 01, 1970
Whether red, green or blue, tractors are as indispensable to a farmer as seed or land. Someday, parts of those tractors may be made from last year's harvest as researchers from North Dakota State University seek ways to make reinforced composite plastics from the oils, proteins and fibers grown in American fields.
Proving Out Plasma Gasification
By Bryan Sims
January 01, 1970
Researchers believe that the economics are right for using plasma gasification technology to convert municipal solid waste into energy. It's just a matter of getting that first commercial plant built in the United States for it to catch on.
Acid Trip
By Ron Kotrba
January 01, 1970
Biorefineries built on the biochemical conversion platform can take advantage of their fermentative capacity to produce various organic acids, which can then be reacted with ethanol to make a number of different higher-valued ester compounds.
Switchgrass: A Bioplastic Factory
By Jessica Ebert
January 01, 1970
In the past, cheap oil spurred the development of petroleum-based consumer products such as plastics. Today high oil prices are driving research and development away from fossil fuel-based processes to those using renewable feedstocks. The markets for these new bioproducts are growing and companies such as Massachusetts-based Metabolix Inc. are cashing in by engineering bioenergy crops that also serve as factories for bioplastics.
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