Danny Roberts

Clemson scientist Danny Roberts has invented a naturally derived compound that looks and acts like plastic, but is 100% biodegradable and recyclable, contains no petroleum and it is cost- and energy-efficient to produce.

The compound is formed using natural fibers such as cotton, flax and kenaf, a tropical plant related to hemp. The fibers are combined with polylactic acid, a plastic-like substance derived from corn.

Roberts’ compound currently comes in the form of small, medicine-style bottles, which are produced using an injection molding and blow-injection molding process. Roberts said he hopes to have the bottles perfected and ready for market in time for the Natural Products Expo West trade show, which is scheduled for March in Anaheim, Calif.

Gaia Herbs Inc., a Brevard, N.C.-based nutraceuticals firm, has provided research funding for the project and has purchased the licensing agreement to the bottles.

“These bottles completely fit our company’s value-driven mission statement to be environmentally sustainable,” said Greg Cumberford, vice president of Gaia. “We are very excited to be among the initial supporters of a product that not only benefits the environment, but also supports domestic farmers and the rural communities here in the United States, especially since here at Gaia we are a domestic manufacturer, something of a dying breed here in the Southeast.”

The bottles will save Gaia as much as $400,000 annually in shipping costs. The organic bottles weigh about 20 grams each, as compared with the glass bottles the company currently uses, which weigh 115 grams each. Gaia ships more than 1.5 million bottles a year.

“I can see no reason for continuing to rely on plastics products when the cost of our product is comparable or even less than petroleum-based products,” Cumberford said. “If you can produce a product with a sustainability message embedded within it, why would you not do it?”

Other nutraceutical companies have expressed interest in the bottles and Cumberford anticipates that pharmaceutical companies will soon follow, he said.

“I think it’s reasonable to say that within three years, these bottles with have 10 percent of the market share, which in nutraceuticals amounts to about 200 million bottles,” Cumberford said.

The organic compound is not only beneficial to the nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals industries; it has potential for many other applications.

While the bottles Roberts is currently making are 100% organic, it is possible to incorporate a percentage of the organic compound into different types of plastics. This would allow the product to retain the qualities of its original medium while gaining some of the benefits of the organic compound.

For example, a product that’s 70% polypropylene (a synthetic resin used in molded objects) and 30% fiberglass can be altered so that the fiberglass is replaced with the natural fibers, creating a product that is 30% recyclable.

“Even if you add just five percent of the natural compound to a product, it’s still greener than what it was,” Roberts said. “If you look at all the different applications this compound can be used for, it could make a significant impact on the environment. Also, with oil prices increasing, anything we can do to loosen the dependency on oil is good for everybody.”

Roberts recently spoke at the Bioplastics Processing Conference in Charlotte, N.C., where he said several vendors showed interest in using his invention in their plastics products.

Increased regulatory and consumer-based pressures on companies in the United States to use environmentally responsible practices have generated an interest in natural and organic products. Corporate giants such as Wal-Mart are beginning to compel their vendors to use recyclable and sustainable materials in their products.

“If Wal-Mart is telling vendors they want to be greener, it’s like sleeping with an elephant,” Roberts said. “I’ve already had one vendor contact me just because of Wal-Mart.”

The European automotive industry, too, is under increased regulatory pressure to incorporate more recyclable materials into their products. Roberts said that has led automotive manufacturers, particularly those in Europe, to express an interest in his product.

“Obviously you can’t do much with the engine block as far as recyclable materials, but you can replace things like bumpers, dashboards, door panels, consoles—any of the molded parts—with natural materials,” he said.

Roberts has traveled internationally, conducting research and speaking about his invention. He received recognition from the Clemson University Research Foundation in 2005 and has been nominated for an award presented by the University of Missouri and an additional award from Clemson. He also has been invited to deliver the keynote address for a Society of Plastics Engineers conference in Evansville, Ind., in May.

Roberts is the project’s lead scientist, but points out that the invention has been a collaborative work. Research scientist and mechanical engineer John Foulk of the USDA Cotton Quality Research Station, organic chemist Dennis Smith and David Gangemi, director for Clemson’s Institute for Nutraceutical Research, have contributed to the project.