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When I see epoxy I start to get suspicious about whether this product/process is as sustainable as claimed. Can I throw the whole thing in a compost bin? Or is
by Pfhreak 5y ago
When I see epoxy I start to get suspicious about whether this product/process is as sustainable as claimed. Can I throw the whole thing in a compost bin? Or is this just a fancier plastic that will inevitably end up in our oceans?
- BariumBlue 5y agoI thought something similar when I found out that the "transparent wood breakthroughs" are, as far as I can tell, all epoxy based.
- bayesian_horse 5y agoThey say the end product biodegrades. Even if the epoxy part wouldn't, that would be the least fraction in terms of mass and would be a win over just plastic.
- FranOntanaya 5y agoNot if it replaces wood products that fully biodegrade (even tho many are chemically treated in other ways). That'd be a net loss, and I could see it being huge in terms of additional mass of plastics being added to the environment.
- Pfhreak 5y agoBiodegrades is too fuzzy. What's the time horizon for that? What conditions are needed?
- alex_duf 5y agoUnfortunately biodegradable isn't the same as compostable. Plastic can be biodegradable, and will/can biodegradable into microplastics, with all the issues microplastics are known for. So I always take it with a pinch of salt when a brand toots the "biodegradable" horn a bit too loudly, come back when it's compostable.
- carapace 5y agoSome sort of mucilage-based glue would be cool. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucilage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucilage It seems there's a tension between being biodegradable and being durable.