Researchers from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IPC PAS) are working on an ecological and cheap method of obtaining a material that is resistant and light as plastic, produced from garbage and decomposed in just a few years.

– We want to replace PETs with something that would decompose in several months, at most a few years – explains Prof. Juan Carlos Colmenares from the IPC PAS. His team is working on a fully biodegradable material. Researchers managed to develop a new method of producing so-called DFF (2,5-diformyl furfural). The research results were published in the journal Applied Catalysis B: Environmental.

DFF is a chemical compound that is already used in the production of medicines, cosmetics, perfumes, fuels and environmentally friendly materials.

Professor Colmenares reminds that there have already been tests of polymers made on the basis of DFF. They can be decomposed to sugar-like monomers. And such sugars are a tasty treat for many microorganisms. Even if a bottle of such plastic is thrown into the forest, it will decompose much faster than conventional polymers after a few years.