Seaweed to make plastic

Algaeventure Systems (AVS), is one of many innovative startups participating in the mentoring program. The company was founded in 2008, and received $ 5.9 million in program funding from the ARPA-E Department in 2009. But the AVS story really began in 2004, when Univenture (AVS's parent company), began exploring the idea of ​​producing plastics from renewable sources, rather than the standard petroleum-based plastics.

A few years ago, Univenture realized that its core business, CDs and DVDs, is being phased out with digital music sales. It was then decided that it was necessary to invest three years of the company's profits in research and development to find a new line of business, which led them to search for a sustainably produced plastic that can compete with standard plastics based on petroleum, used by most plastic manufacturers.

After investigating the capabilities of plastics from various types of plants, they realized that algae held potential to sustainably produce plastics with performance characteristics comparable to petroleum-derived plastics. However, for algae to be considered a viable resource, there has to be a processing technology necessary to substantially improve it. It was then that AVS, joined Univenture, in order to develop technologies that improve algae processing so that the resulting discoveries could be commercialized.

Now, AVS is taking key barriers to the cost of algae cultivation and processing, dewatering phases, and harvesting from the company that pulls the water out of the algae, dramatically reducing the energy required to the norm for water-based approaches. centrifuges to dehydrate algae or separate solids from dilute solutions.

Source: seaweed evs


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  1.   amellaly said

    Well the information is very interesting but I have to carry out a project where I have to make plastic without using oil. I don't know if you could help me. Ok, I await your answer! Thank you.