- Series:Plants, Transcript English
Genesis 1:28
“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
Have you ever been to a farm that grows plastic? In just a few years this scenario may become a common reality. Most plastics today are made from petroleum. Plastics made from petroleum are not considered biodegradable. Researchers have been searching for a way to get plants to produce plastic resin. Such plant-produced resin could be used to make biodegradable plastics. The few biodegradable plastics now on the market are made by mixing starch or other plant material with petroleum products.
Researchers from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, have announced that they have engineered a plant that makes polymer resin. The resin is a biodegradable form of the petroleum-based plastic polypropylene that’s now used to make containers and wrappers. While the plant-produced polypropylene looks and acts like its petroleum-based cousin, it is easily broken down by enzymes in the soil. To produce the plastic, researchers added to a relative of the rape plant a gene that enables a common soil bacterium to make the plastic. They say that preliminary studies indicate that plants can be engineered to make a variety of plastics. Further research is being done to increase plastic production and design a plant that is easy to grow on a large-scale.
When God placed man on earth, He told us to make use of it for our good and the good of the rest of the creation. Our discovery and use of the abilities God placed into the creation fulfills this command and improves life for all of us.
Prayer:
Dear Father in heaven, I thank You for all the abilities You have given to the plants and animals You created. Help me to use the abilities You have given me to glorify You and witness to the salvation You have made available to us in Jesus Christ. In His Name. Amen.
Notes:
Amal Kumar Naj. “Plant’s Genes are Engineered to Yield Plastic.” The Wall Street Journal. Photo: Knives, forks, and spoons made from a biodegradable starch-polyester material.
