Kids Web Japan

A spice used to make curry, one of the most popular dishes among Japanese children, now has a new use: making plastic!

Turmeric, one of the main spices used to flavor curry, contains a substance called curcumin, which gives it its yellow color.

How plastic is made from curcumin

1. Dissolve the curcumin in solvent; add water.
2. Shake the mixture well and remove the layer of water.
3. Pour the remaining plastic solution into a solvent in which plastic doesn’t easily dissolve, so that the plastic sinks to the bottom.
4. Remove the upper layer. What remains is plastic.

Characteristics of turmeric-based plastic

• It breaks down through the action of microbes, which means that it can be disposed of without damaging the environment.
• It also breaks down when exposed to ultraviolet rays.
• It is “carbon neutral.” This means that, as the plastic is made from vegetable matter, even when it is burned it does not contribute to an increase in the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Researchers have also discovered that this plastic...

Takes on a liquid crystal structure when bonded with copper.

Research on turmeric-based plastic is being led by Matsumi Noriyoshi, an associate professor at Nagoya University.

Courtesy of Associate Professor Matsumi Noriyoshi, Nagoya University

(Updated in October 2008)