Researchers report a simple method to convert food waste into cellulose-based plastics of varying thermal and mechanical properties (Macromolecules 2014, DOI: 10.1021/ma5008557).

Most synthetic plastics have environmental concerns: They’re petroleum-based; they can’t biodegrade; or they potentially contain toxic compounds such as phthalates. Ilker S. Bayer, Athanassia Athanassiou, and their colleagues at the Italian Institute of Technology have sought ways to make plastics from biomass so that the materials are renewable, biodegradable, and possibly less toxic. One potential feedstock is cellulose, which, as a component of plant cell walls, is nature’s most abundant renewable polymer.

In their new plastic-making method, the researchers turned to a technique that’s normally used to break down cellulose into simpler sugars for biofuel production: soaking the material in acid. Because the researchers only wanted to break apart the cellulose’s crystalline structure—and not convert it into simple sugars—the team used trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), which isn’t as strong as acids used in biofuel applications.

The team used TFA to soak inedible waste from four food crops: spinach, rice, cocoa beans, and parsley. After several days of soaking, the researchers removed the volatile acid, yielding plastic coatings and films with a variety of mechanical properties. These materials have tensile strengths similar to synthetic polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene, the researchers say. The plant-waste plastics start to thermally degrade at temperatures between 150 and 300 ºC, which is similar to the range for synthetic polymers.

參考譯文：
農產品加工過程中會產生大量不適合食用的廢料
，例如米糠
、果殼、綠lv葉ye類lei蔬shu菜cai難nan以yi食shi用yong的de莖jing等deng等deng。這zhe些xie廢fei料liao的de主zhu要yao成cheng分fen是shi纖xian維wei素su，這zhe是shi一yi種zhong有you著zhe良liang好hao機ji械xie性xing能neng的de天tian然ran高gao分fen子zi，在zai許xu多duo場chang合he可ke以yi代dai替ti人ren工gong合he成cheng的de塑su料liao。但dan是shi，植zhi物wu中zhong的de纖xian維wei素su通tong常chang以yi晶jing體ti的de形xing式shi存cun在zai，加jia工gong比bi較jiao困kun難nan。

來自意大利的研究人員近日發現，隻要將這些廢料浸泡在一種常見的有機酸——三san氟fu乙yi酸suan中zhong，廢fei料liao中zhong的de纖xian維wei素su的de晶jing體ti形xing態tai就jiu會hui逐zhu漸jian被bei破po壞huai，纖xian維wei素su得de以yi溶rong解jie在zai三san氟fu乙yi酸suan中zhong，便bian於yu進jin一yi步bu的de加jia工gong。利li用yong這zhe種zhong方fang法fa，研yan究jiu人ren員yuan成cheng功gong將jiang多duo種zhong農nong產chan品pin加jia工gong過guo程cheng中zhong產chan生sheng的de廢fei料liao轉zhuan化hua為wei塑su料liao
，其qi機ji械xie強qiang度du、rewendingxingdengxingnengjunkeyipimeichangjiandehechengsuliao，erqiefeiqihoukeyizaiweishengwudezuoyongxiazhujianjiangjie。zhexiangyanjiutigongleyikezaishengdeshengwuziyuanweiyuanliaoshengchansuliaodeyizhongxinfangfa，youzhuyujianqingsuliaozhipindeshengchanduiyuhuashinengyuandeyilaiyijiduihuanjingdepohuai。

原始來源：http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/web/2014/07/Simple-Acid-Soak-Turns-Food.html