This Bacteria Turns Food Waste Into Bioplastic

Spanish company VEnvirotech takes organic food waste from eggshells to potato pulp and feeds it to a unique strain of bacteria. The microbes break it down into fatty acids, which can be placed in a bioreactor to produce a special bioplastic called PHA. PHA is extremely versatile. It can be shaped using a 3D printer into products from mobile phone casings to medical implants. This bioplastic is ‘biocompatible’, which means it doesn’t cause a reaction in the body; when it’s no longer needed, it can be safely broken down again. Watch the video to learn more about this new kind of bioplastic from VEnvirotech.