-
Sleeps with the Fishes
CD's made out of corn
CDs made outta corn.........
Sanyo Electric has developed an optical disc based on a polymer derived from corn which, the company says, is as sturdy as current plastic discs but will biodegrade when disposed of.
The company, which is claiming a world first for the technology, will begin selling its "MildDisc" in December. It is initially targeting volume customers producing prerecorded CDs, such as music CDs, VideoCDs, or CD-ROMs, said Ryan Watson, a Tokyo-based spokesperson for Sanyo, which is headquartered in Osaka.
The discs have been designed to tackle a problem common to many plastics upon disposal: If burned, toxic gases can be released into the atmosphere causing health and global warming (news - web sites) concerns; but if buried, they don't break down, causing a potential problem for future generations. The MildDisc will degrade after a period of about 50 to 100 years and break down into water and carbon dioxide, Watson said. This time span means users don't have to worry about losing information during the lifetime of the discs, he said.
Out on the Farm
The production process begins when Cargill Dow in Nebraska converts corn into a polylactic acid. This is done by milling the corn to separate out the starch and then processing the starch to get unrefined dextrose. Using a fermentation process similar to that of beer production, the dextrose is converted into lactic acid, according to the company's Web site.
The acid is converted into a polymer to form the base of the optical disc by Sanyo in a process the company developed with Japan's Mitsui Chemicals, for which the companies have applied for patents, Watson said.
Sanyo estimates that around 85 corn kernels, each weighing an average of 0.5 grams, are needed to produce enough polymer for a single 4.7-inch optical disc, so an average ear of corn can produce around ten discs. The International Recording Media Association estimates world demand for CDs at around 9 billion annually, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (news - web sites) estimates world corn production at about 600 million tons, so producing enough polymer to satisfy the demand for discs would require less than 0.1 percent of the world's corn production.
Coming Soon?
Initially the company will focus on discs for prerecorded applications, although it is considering recordable and rewritable versions of the MildDisc. DVDs based on the same technology are also a future possibility, according to Watson.
When sales begin at the end of this year, the blanks disc will sell in bulk for roughly three times the price of current plastic discs. However, Sanyo estimates it will be able to reduce this premium to around 1.2 times as production ramps up and volume shipments begin.
Cargill Dow is using the same initial process and its own refining process to produce its NatureWorks PLA polymer film. Several companies are using the film to produce a range of goods including cartons, candy wrappers, kitchen utensils, and acrylic sheets and fabrics.
Check around yahoo news in the oddly enough section, I dont' got the link for it anymore.
-
Great White Shark
Sounds promising... but I will hold my breath until I see a real one in my hands... let's not be corny now!
-
Hammerhead Shark
.......
Okay. That's peculiar to say the least. I guess it's all right if it works. Just as long as these disks don't turn into popcorn or something.
Last edited by Sandro; 10-21-2003 at 01:07 PM.
-
Hammerhead Shark
that is great news. definitely a move in the right direction. and now we can watch those AOL discs dissolve before our very eyes rather than pile up in the drawer/garage/garbage/landfill.
workstation: athlon xp-m 2400+@2.4Ghz | epox 8rda+ | 512mb | seagate 80gb+160gb | arch linux
web server: athlon xp 1600+ | epox 8k3a+ | 256mb | maxtor 30gb | debian linux
-
Astronomy Shark
Originally posted by serotone9
that is great news. definitely a move in the right direction. and now we can watch those AOL discs dissolve before our very eyes rather than pile up in the drawer/garage/garbage/landfill.
lol...i agree, this is really good news for the environment. Although 50 to 100 years is a decent amount of time for cd's to pile up yet...What starts the biodegradation? Is it when it comes in contact with water for extended periods of time?
My Current System
C2Q Q6700 @ 3.4Ghz, 1.31v | Zerotherm NV120 Nirvana | Asus P5W DH | 4GB Corsair G-Skill PC6400 | 1GB HIS IceQ4 4870 Turbo | X-Fi Xtrememusic | Megaworks 650 6.1 | 500GB WD SE16 | Corsair TX750W | TT Tsunami | Log. MX3100 Duo | Dell 2007WFP | Vista HP x64
3d05 - 20025 | 3d06 - 15570
My Heatware | My Rig Pics/OC | Sharkyforums 3dmark Team |
Currently Playing- DoW:2, UT3, TF2, NWN2
-
Sleeps with the Fishes
i guess i should stop working on my project to make cds out of cotton candy
-
Hammerhead Shark
so immediately two things come to mind
1. Do not us a water cooling system with this media, it might dissolve
2. do not eat
-
gran tiburón blanco
Originally posted by THE SHADOW
2. do not eat
What happend to all my cds? If they want something that is biodegradable why not make storage media out of brain tissue
Eric
-
Ultra Great White Shark!!
I do not think this disk will be tasty though???
www.myeducational plan.com-come see my plan to fix the USA educational system. I hope this is sig legal. Major Site Design Update on July 18, 2006. On June 18, 2009 passed the 10,000 post mark. December 24, 2009: Major Theme change and more....
-
gran tiburón blanco
Originally posted by richardginn
I do not think this disk will be tasty though???
Did they say corn or porn? We already have tons of CDs filled with porn
Eric
-
Reef Shark
Whoa Nebraska is in the news? I hardly see many from Nebraska round here.
Main Rig[/SIZE]
Pentium 4 2.4B @ 2.8 Volcano 7+
Asus P4PE/L
1GB Corsair PC 2700 XMS
Radeon 9700 PRO
Sound Blaster Live! 5.1
Western Digital 60GB 7200RPM
Antec True 430 Watt PSU
Windows 2000 Pro
Samsung 19" SyncMaster 955DF
[/Color]
-
Expensive Sushi
Well if you can make tortillas out of corn... why not cd-roms?
Posting Permissions
- You may not post new threads
- You may not post replies
- You may not post attachments
- You may not edit your posts
-
Forum Rules
|
|