Could ‘Liquid Wood’ Replace Plastic?

A German company, Tecnaro, says it found the magic formula. Its “liquid wood” can be molded like plastic, yet biodegrades over time.Now, Tecnaro’s success could revive interest in lignin and propel the search for better and cheaper bioplastics.Sold as Arboform, the tough mixture is chock full of lignin – sometimes more than 50 percent, compared with the 30 percent threshold where many researchers would max out. The rest is fiber from wood, flax, or hemp, as well as a few additives.Raw Arboform consists of dark brown pebble-sized pellets. It is processed using the same equipment used to make conventional plastic. The granules are dropped into a barrel and heated until they melt. Then the contents are highly pressurized and forced into a rigid mold.As the liquid cools, Arboform actually conforms better than most plastics to the boundaries of complex molds.

see more