Scientists at the Technical University of Denmark discovered how to transform the pulp from sugar beets following sugar production into new materials. These materials include one that could resemble and replace plastic.
The discovery could reduce both agricultural and plastic waste, allowing raw materials –– like sugar beets –– to serve multiple purposes. The scientists hope their findings will carry over to other raw materials, they said.
"Once we have demonstrated the possibilities of utilizing sugar beet for several valuable products, the vision is to expand our thinking to many other similar products," Technical University of Denmark Professor Anne S. Meyer said in a summary published by Phys.org.
Meyer leads the research, and she and her team found they could use enzymes to penetrate the sugar beet pulp and separate the fibers in it. The fibers include cellulose, which is malleable due to the molecular nature of sugar beets and differs from the rigid cellulose in trees.
The researchers said they hope to utilize the cellulose's malleability and make it into plastic-like materials. These reused materials could decrease plastic production, since the United Nations reports 98% of single-use plastic products contain new plastic.
Less plastic production also means less plastic waste. Plastic waste persists in the environment and never disappears, according to the U.N. Instead, plastic breaks into smaller and smaller pieces –– microplastics –– which can produce environmental and human health consequences.
While the team of scientists is considering the sustainability of the cellulose-based plastic alternative, cellulose is a naturally occurring organic compound. The team is also studying how to disassemble and recycle the material.
The sugar beet pulp, the researchers found, contains fibers in addition to cellulose, including bioactive pectin elements. These elements could improve gut health due to their anti-inflammatory properties.
The work of Meyer and her team may prove important as climate change stresses food systems. Utilizing raw materials for multiple purposes –– like sugar beets for sugar, plastic alternatives, and gut-health supplements –– could relieve some of that stress and emphasize sustainability.
"These could be raw materials for food products that, due to climate change, will be the food of the future in, for example, Africa or Asia, where production conditions are changing dramatically in recent years and where it is obvious to consider using the entire crop for more than just food," Meyer said.
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