Funding for Plastics from Potatoes

A consortium hoping to make plastics from Maine potatoes has received more than $650,000 to further develop the proposal.

The group, which is known as the Sustainable Bioplastics Consortium, plans to spend the next 18 months demonstrating the feasibility and marketability of using Maine spuds to produce an environmentally friendly type of plastic. The consortium is being led by InterfaceFABRIC of Guilford.

Researchers at the University of Maine in Orono will work on the technical aspects of creating a type of plastic resin — called polylactic acid, or PLA — from potato starch. The Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at UMaine will continue studying the market opportunities for potato-derived plastics