Peat n' beets find use in eco-friendly composite materials
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Plant physiologist Arland Hotchkiss (right) adds sugar beet pulp and polylactic acid to an extruder to make the bioplastic strips that chemist LinShu Liu is inspecting
Scientists are developing eco-friendly composite materials containing peat fiber and beet pulp (Photos: Shutterstock/Shutterstock)
Peat-based thermoplastic containers, created by VTT
Article Summary
What do hemp, mushrooms, milk and straw have in common? They’re just a few of the things that have been used to create “green” composite materials, in which most or all of the usual petroleum by-products are replaced by more environmentally-friendly substances. Now, thanks to two separate studies, it looks like peat and beets can be added to that list.
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