Polymers from plants to develop biodegradable plastics.
Katrin Neumann et al. have recently shown that transgenic tobacco and potato plants can accumulate high levels of cyanophycin, a possible source for poly-aspartate. This work opens the way to the future production of biodegradable plastics using a plant-based production system. Several problems need to be overcome first, such as growth retardation as a result of cyanophycin accumulating in the cytosol, and a co-production system needs to be developed for economical reasons.
Conrad
Udo
U
Institut für Pflanzengegentik und Kulturpflanzenforschung Gatersleben (IPK), Corrensstrasse 3, D-06466 Gatersleben, Germany. conradu@ipk-gatersleben.de
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000378:metabolism*; D010969:Plastics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011108:Polymers / Q000378:metabolism*
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D010969:Plastics; D011108:Polymers; C024250:cyanophycin