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Micromidas Wants to Turn Sewage to Plastic
Fox News
Finalists were just announced for the California Cleantech Open, an influential national contest to pair emerging projects in need of financing with those valuable dollars. And the ideas to come out of it are, as always, intriguing.
Treehugger.com has the complete rundown, worth perusing for the scope of fascinating ideas. One worth pausing to think about is Micromidas, a Californian startup that aims to convert the carbon in organic wastewater into bio-plastics that can be used just like conventional plastics.
The company claims that “by applying a naturally occuring microbial phenomena, we convert the carbon in organic wastewater into polyhydroxylalkanoate (PHA), a family of high-performance, highly marketable biodegradable plastics. Our process consumes carbon and other nutrients from the waste stream that would have to undergo costly processes such as incineration or chemical treatment.”
The winner of the contest will be announced on November 17th, but each of the six finalists has already won a prize worth $100,000.
October 26th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
d I F F I C U L T TO READ LOUSY COLORING !!
October 26th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Well James, they spelled everything right this time…how much can one really ask for from Fox News. I am still trying to find the Anit-Obama slant on it though… it has to be in there some where, LOL.
October 26th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Oh yeah…. and Just so I can say it…. who will be the first to sell spring water out of a bottle that use to be poop and pee, LOL.
October 26th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Well.. Noah.. You didn’t spell everything right?? “Anit-Obama”
October 26th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Are we still mindlessly aping the childish propaganda of certain talk-show hosts that naughty Fox only exists to slam Obama? Laugh silently.
October 26th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Noah, I read your comments concerning an innovative concept to convert sewage into a usable product and think you have a great idea… sell spring water in a recycled plastic container.
ps Your spelling and grammar/typing suck; you must be an example of public schools.
October 27th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Does anybody make intelligent, constructive comments on here?
October 27th, 2009 at 7:19 am
I can’t as I’m a right wingnut.
October 27th, 2009 at 8:27 am
I am sure there will be a public outcry the first time a child gets a cold after drinking from one of these bottles. It will be assumed that somehow the sewage was not properly removed and the whole idea will “go down the drain”
October 27th, 2009 at 10:32 am
ROTF @ GENO. Dude you know 80% of the country goes to public schools. If our public school system is so horrible, what does that say about our country? Hmmmmm.
October 27th, 2009 at 10:58 am
I’m certain that the tree huggers will want to ban it because of the mere mention of the word “Plastic” even if it is made from poo. They’ll get some nutty professor to say it’s no good like they already have with BPA in Polycarbonate, which is used everywhere and every day safely.
October 27th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I am a little surprised that the obama lovers think that this has anything to do with Fox news or Obama. This is a good attempt to limit the use of Crude Oil, reducing the reliance on the middle east, and a good way to get rid of waste. I am an engineer and know what I am talking about.
The Obama lovers need to get a issue to stick with instead of attacking Fox News that is only reporting the truth. Not putting there head in the sand like the rest of the media and lefties.
October 27th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
sounds like Sh*t.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Anything that can be recycled is a good thing. The more we recycle, the less we need to process or dump into landfills; we need more competitions like this in every state!
October 28th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
What about recovering all the plastic waste filling the oceans into usable plastic or fuel?
October 28th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
AWESOME!!!!! I’d love to be able to guiltlessly grab a bottled drink on the go again without searching out a glass one. If this innovation pans out, I’d actually be able to feel good about buying it!
p.s. aren’t there enough venues here on fox news for all the inane bickering? I don’t think this article merits it…..
October 28th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
wow. this is a very good idea if they could pull it off. i also agree witht he person who tlked about finding old plastic in ocean and making it reusable.
October 29th, 2009 at 10:03 am
I like the attitude of the late posters on this. I also see it as an extremely relevant and ‘conservative’ approach to a real problem. Trash and sewage reduces the fair market value of nearly everything it touches. I’m all for a solution that has a positive cost-benefit. Here’s an idea…let’s let the free market develop it so it has a chance of surviving.
October 29th, 2009 at 10:54 am
I like the idea of recycling waste. This shows promise. But the left will never buy it. It reduces our reliance on imported oil and It would reduce their kick backs.
November 2nd, 2009 at 9:02 pm
People: A news outlet practices Journalism. Correct grammer and spelling have a direct corelation to the credibility of the article and the quality of the Journalism practiced by the provider.
Can’t blame you though, this is something that people learn when they complete high school and attend college.
If you are just pretending to be smart to impress others perhaps you should take the time to communicate clearly (By spelling correctly and using decent grammar) and seek out reliable and credible information from an appropriate source, and no, I don’t mean information from FOX entertainment.
And please: do us all a favor and don’t breed. This country does not need to go out of it’s way to be dumber.
I can’t believe how many folks are taking this as an opportunity to make snarky comments about liberals and people that support the President of the United States.
Ironic that your blind loyalty prevents you from realizing the truth. The party that you are protecting and supporting is using you to do so precisely because you are mercurial, are too lazy to educate yourselves or to check facts, and your generally nasty demeanor that is rivaled only by your stupidity and willful ignorance.
It is a shame that your ‘handlers’ haven’t a clue as to how to turn you off once you have served your purpose. By the time you fools figure it out it will be too late for you, and unfortunately probably for the rest of us too.
Go rent a movie called “Idiocracy” and you should be able to understand what I am telling you. Here’s a hint: The movie is about you! A sad day when American Citizens are getting their marching orders from an Australian. (Yes Tweedledum Rupert Murdoch is not one of us, he is Australian)His so called “news-people” get their “talking points” directly from him every morning. Kinda makes you traitors doesn’t it?
November 4th, 2009 at 12:35 am
Turning innocuous treated sewage into haz-mat PHAs! Brilliant!
November 4th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Wow Michael– “Correct GRAMMER and spelling have a direct CORELATION…”???
November 8th, 2009 at 6:33 am
FOX has a “green stories” section, and I have to read about conservative bias from a ‘corelation’ credibility expert? Wow, the liberal team must be getting nervous to defend where there is no attack. Interesting story.
November 9th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
I wonder if dangerous levels of dihydrogen oxide will lead to the ban of these new plastic bottles.