Rudrapur: In a significant development that might do away with polythene and the issue of environmental pollution associated with it, scientists at the College of Technology, Pantnagar Agricultural University in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur have claimed to have made a biodegradable material from paddy husk said to be an alternative to polythene.
Prof PK Omre and his research student Sheeba Malik have prepared a polylactic acid-based sheet by refining paddy husk which can be used to store various products. Researcher Sheeba said that India is a major rice-producing country and about 24 million tonnes of rice bran is produced during the milling of paddy. While a small amount is used as fuel for boilers, power generation, etc, most of the husk is either burnt or thrown in the open field as garbage, Sheeba said.
She said that due to its low commercial value and high availability, the husk can be used as a filler in biocomposite packaging materials. It has taken the scientists three years to come up with the product. Significantly, the material will get destroyed in 3 to 6 months after coming in contact with the soil thus doing away with pollution.
