Chiba University, together with the University of Tokyo and Tohoku University, has developed a circular bio-based plastic system. It can be converted into fertilizer after use.Â
The research builds on earlier work. That work showed a bio-based polycarbonate made from isosorbide, a plant-derived compound from glucose, can be broken down by ammonia. Its breakdown products can then be used as fertilizer. In the new study, the team developed an isosorbide-derived bio-based plasticizer. This gives broader control over the material’s flexibility and processability.
The new system allows both the biopolymer and the bio-based plasticizer to convert into fertilizer components. Ammonia treatment breaks the bioplastic down into isosorbide and urea. The team confirmed these decomposition products promoted plant growth.
Researchers successfully grew two plants using the decomposition products from the bioplastic. These were Arabidopsis thaliana, a model plant, and komatsuna, a leafy vegetable common in Japan. Neither required separation or purification of the breakdown products first.
The study was published online in Scientific Reports on August 18. It appeared under the title “Plastics to fertilizer: a polymer system based on isosorbide as a monomer, plasticizer, and fertilizer.”
The researchers described the work as a step toward bio-based plastics that function during use, then convert into fertilizer after disposal. The technology could extend to other isosorbide-based bioplastics, they said. It may eventually apply to materials like films and packaging, pending further safety checks.
Plastic waste remains a persistent global environmental problem. This has driven growing interest in recyclable, bio-based alternatives. The bio-based polycarbonate used in this study offers transparency and heat resistance. It had previously been limited by hardness and brittleness before the new bio-based plasticizer was added.
The research was supported by Japan Science and Technology Agency programs, including CREST and a university spinout commercialization fund.
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