BRATISLAVA, Sept 27 — Slovak biotechnologists have developed a new bioplastic made from algae and other biological materials, offering a potential alternative to conventional plastics derived from fossil fuels, reported Xinhua.

The material was developed by Slovak company BioX Technologies to address environmental concerns linked to the production and disposal of conventional plastics, the News Agency of the Slovak Republic (TASR) reported yesterday.

“Plastics have many great properties — they are lightweight, durable and practically indispensable in many industries. The problem arises with single-use plastics and also because we can’t recycle them forever,” said Ema Ondrejkova of BioX Technologies.

“That’s why we’re looking for materials with similar properties that are not made from crude oil but from renewable resources and are also biodegradable,” she added.

A key feature of the new material is its end-of-life treatment.

Unlike conventional plastics, which generally need to be collected, sorted and processed for recycling, the new material is designed to biodegrade under appropriate conditions.

Some formulations can also be made edible, according to the researchers. — Bernama-Xinhua