We’ve all heard it time and again – reduce, reuse, recycle. Environmentalists have harped about this message for years. It’s high time that we get rid of non-biodegradable materials that just accumulate on the earth’s surface and destroy the ecosystem.
Plastics and thrown in dump sites and just stay there. It’s the same story with Styrofoam. Hence, it may be time to make big changes. And the good news is that people are actually starting make new discoveries that could replace these items.
This new discovery was a stroke of scientific genius by a German researcher. The realization hit him our of nowhere. He was simply enjoying a box of popcorn in a dark movie theater. He then realized that the overpriced, butter-soaked concession shared the same exact size and consistency as the Styrofoam packing peanuts that companies often use when shipping items.
It must be known that Styrofoam is made from polystyrene. In order to create this, the process requires the use of a fossil fuel extraction. What’s even worse is that it takes centuries to break it down, and when it does, it turns into even smaller bits of harmful micro-plastic. Hence, this needs to stop and Alireza Kharazipour thought that looking into popcorn as a substitute was worth looking into and experimenting with. These puffed corn kernels could actually replace it and make the packing process a whole lot cheaper and a lot friendlier to the environment.
In the US alone, around 3 million tons of polystyrene is produced on a yearly basis. This is a staggering amount considering it’s made of 95 percent air. Unfortunately, Styrofoam has become a popular choice because it has allowed the people in charge of packaging to adjust this and take on very precise forms. The fact that these so-called packing ‘peanuts’ are small and soft, these provide safety especially for fragile electronics. The items on the move will stay intact as it’s shipped from one place to another. Thus, saving the manufacturers pennies in the process.
One of Styrofoam’s worst qualities is the fact that most recycling facilities don’t have the means and the ability to process it. Stefan Schult, Managing Director of Nordgetreide, talks about using popcorn as the alternative and said, “Our popcorn packaging is a great sustainable alternative to polystyrene which is derived from petroleum”
Kharazipour also talks to Fast Company about his new discovery and explained,“The products are very light because popcorn granules are filled with air like honeycombs. When grain maize expands into popcorn, the volume increases by 15 percent to 20 percent.”
The best part about popcorn packing is that it can be made from any type of corn. More importantly, it is completely biodegradable. Large pieces can be compressed as well into shapes to hold the different products that are usually shipped because the material can be easily sawed into pieces, either for cutting into precise shapes, or for shredding at the end of its life.
The is obvious brilliance in Kharazipour’s innovative idea. It is so good, in fact, that the discovery has landed him an exclusive licensing agreement with a medium-sized grain and cereal company in Europe called Nordgetreide. The said company is in charge of manufacturing a variety popcorn packing products.
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