Sperm will save the earth… an alternative to plastic made from it [TKB World]

Scientists in China have made an object from the sperm of salmon fish found in sea and clean water that can replace plastic. It is strong, flexible like plastic but it is also biodegradable. That means, it will not take hundreds of years to decompose like plastic. Rather, it will not harm the earth by melting quickly. Nor does it contain any toxic chemicals.

Chinese scientists have combined two strains of DNA from the sperm of salmon fish, a chemical found in vegetable oil, to create a substance that is soft, padded like a sponge, strong and flexible like plastic. Scientists have named it Hydrogel.

Made from chemicals derived from salmon fish sperm and vegetable oil, this hydrogel can be molded into any type of shape. If moisture is removed from it, then it becomes very hard and strong material. That is, you can freeze-dry it by molding it in any shape.

Researchers from China have made cup, puzzle piece, DNA structure from this hydrogel so far. Scientists are calling it eco-friendly plastic. Chinese scientists have created a hydrogel by taking the genetic code from the DNA of salmon fish. According to a study in the year 2015, there are 50 billion tonnes or 50,000,000,000,000 kilograms of DNA present in the world.Then we can make an alternative to plastic from them. Like from crops, from algae or from the DNA of any bacteria. The advantage of this will be that the needs of plastic on the earth can be met. Whether it is a flexible bag or a hard brick. You can use substances like hydrogels however you want.

Plastic waste is a big problem for the environment. Plastics are made from petrochemicals. It requires a lot of energy, heat and toxic substances to make it. These substances also cause pollution on air, water and land. It takes hundreds of years for plastic to decompose. The process of recycling is very less. Due to which the mountain of plastic waste is getting accumulated in many countries around the world.

Scientists around the world have been searching for alternatives to plastic for years. They wants to know what alternatives can be made through low energy, natural sources and non-polluting. The search for such substances is continuously going on which can be used instead of plastic and they do not harm the environment. Biodegradable plastic has been created, for which cornstarch and algae are used.

Tianjin University scientist Deong Yang and his team say that the biggest problem with making biodegradable plastic is that it takes a lot of energy, it takes a lot of time to recycle it. Deong Yang and his team claim that the hydrogel they have created from chemicals derived from salmon fish sperm and vegetable oil is the solution to all these problems.

Deyong claims that this hydrogel, made from chemicals derived from salmon fish sperm and vegetable oil, has 97 percent less carbon emissions than plastic. It is a kind of gel which can be molded into any form. hard, soft or flexible. In whatever form it is, it is easy to recycle. There will also be no need for DNA-smelting enzymes to recycle the substances made from it.

Deyong says that the hydrogel made from salmon fish can be easily recycled. A waterproof coating can be applied over them. But doing so will make it difficult to recycle them. However, it can be used to keep some such electronic items safe. For special packaging etc.