• Dem Bosain
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    3 months ago

    People with 3D printers will remember how we were lied to about PLA’s biodegradability.

    • paraphrand@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Whoa, really? I’m aware of other scandals in the industry. Like anti-competitive buyouts intended to stifle it. But, generally, I’m a 3D printing outsider. I had not heard about this.

      • Dem Bosain
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        3 months ago

        The original story was similar: PLA is made from corn, and is completely biodegradable.

        Interested people took various parts made from PLA and put them outside for a while. Some people buried them. Some people put them in their compost pile or canisters. I think the only result was some discoloration and possibly some reduced strength.

        So now it seems PLA only biodegrades under industrial conditions, requiring elevated temperatures.

        • abhibeckert@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          AFAIK under elevated temperatures, it degrades nicely. At typical soil temperatures it slowly degrades into methane which is a greenhouse gas - not great for the environment… but it’s still a hell of a lot better than plastic.

          As bad as methane is, at least it has a relatively short life before it becomes Co2 and ultimately is absorbed by trees/etc and re-enters the cycle of life. Plastic on the other hand is really nasty toxin that often ends up in the ocean and causes long term damage.

          The TLDR is methane needs to be managed, we have to make sure we don’t produce too much. While plastic should just be illegal. We should never produce any plastic, at all, for any reason. It’s going to take a long time but that’s where we have to go.

          • pastermil@sh.itjust.works
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            3 months ago

            We should never produce any plastic, at all, for any reason.

            What about for medical reason? AFAIK reusing stuff for highly infectious cases is not an option.