Environmental Products of Biotechnology By Jason Samaroo & Ramiro Beltran

Plastic Products made from corn When you see some plastic products, such as dog waste bags, cups, forks, knives, and spoons they are made from corn. Using these corn products will help the environment by reusing the used corn already instead of making new plastic. Some of these products are made in facilities that are located in Nebraska and Arkansas.

Biodiesel Biodiesel is the clean burning of fuel. Biodiesel is a fuel that does not harm the environment. Biodiesel is made in a process used by taking vegetable oil and then merging it with Methanol. After that you have add to a small amount of Sodium Hydroxide to this product. This gives you Biodiesel. The process leaves behinds two products the chemical named for biodiesel (methyl esters) and glycerin. An interesting fact is that biodiesel is actually used frequently in Canada and Brazil.

Methane Gas an Energy Source Methane gas is an green house gas that is twenty times stronger than carbon. It is a gas that is renewable. Hopefully it will be used in the future for energy because it is renewable so we will have an unlimited supply of it. Decomposing garbage produces this gas, when a bacteria eats them they give off this gas that is rich in methane and used to attract electricity and heat. Methane gas can be used in cars as well as airplanes and boats for their fuels.

Enviropig An Enviropig is a genetically altered Yorkshire pig. What is different about the Enviropig is that the Enviropig now produces a enzyme called phytase from the salivary glands. Because he now has the phytase in him Enviropig can now digest phytic acid foods in which phosphorus acid is present. This phosphorus will also increase its manure approximately four fold, this will help create more fertile soil.

Biodegradable Products Biodegradable means being able to be broken down naturally, into more basic components. In order for it to be consider as a biodegradable product it has to be broken down by a substance like bacteria, fungi, rain erosion or something that comes from nature. Biodegradable products will be broken down into Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and other similar substances like that.

Questions 1:Where are plastics that come from corn made? 2:Where Is Biodiesel Used in the world? 3: Where Can Methane Gas Be Used? 4: What Is being genetically altered in an Enviropig? 5:What does biodegradable products get broken down into?