Environ is made from a combination of recycled newspapers and soybean meal. There are many potential new uses for plants in industry. Several forms of edible flax oil created through genetic manipulation for use in deep-fat frying, candy and margarine. At present, flax produces a non-edible oil primarily used in paints, lubricants and linoleum. Cat litter, mulching material, fuel and a slow, safe distribution system for horticultural chemicals are being made from old peanut shells.
Peanut hulls, a major waste product of the peanut industry, break down very slowly.
The hulls can now be converted into pellets which are used in many products. A new wood preservative has been developed from a chemical called vegetable tannin which is found in some plants. Wood treated with tannin is resistant to decay, weathering, and i nsect or fungal attack. Stronger, whiter paper can be made from kenaf, a bamboo-like crop. A biodegradable plastic is being developed that is made out of lignin.