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tweetmeme_url="http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/us-company-transforms-algae-into-bioplastic-could-slash-petroleum-use-by-50/"; California-based company Cereplast has revealed that it is developing breakthrough technology to transform algae into bioplastics, and predicts that it could replace 50% or more of the petroleum content used in traditional plastic resins.

Inventors with the Agricultural Resource Service, the chief scientific research agency for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, have discovered a way to turn common starches such as potatoes, wheat and corn into a polystyrene substitute. Polystyrene, also know as plastic #6, is used in products such as packing and construction materials, as well as disposable dinnerware. This new finding may offer a way to replace non-biodegradable polystyrene with a more eco-friendly alternative.