This release was provided to the Iowa Soybean Promotion Board for its annual Soybean Supplement. Soybeans may offer relief to environmental headaches caused by trash bags, crop mulches and other nondegradable plastic-film products, say Iowa State University scientists. Bags litter beaches and streets. Plastics can harm wildlife, especially aquatic animals.
Mulch films can block underground water circulation and hurt soil quality.
Jane and other ISU researchers are working to develop plastic films made with soybean protein that will degrade in the environment. In the U.S., about 12 billion pounds of polyethylene films are produced annually. Mulch films used to protect crops are used on about 250,000 acres. With support from the Iowa Soybean Promotion Board, Jane's research has demonstrated that soy-based biodegradable films can be made using blowing extrusion, the same technology used to make polyethylene films. Polyethylene films are transparent to UV light, which can produce chemical reactions or oxidations that deteriorate the quality of the products.