Break up the fibers in the wood into tiny pieces

ㆍANPOLY, a Korean-based startup that develops new nano-biomaterials, aims to combat the climate crisis by developing recyclable plastics from food waste.

ㆍNanocellulose is a biodegradable polymeric material that is stronger than steel and has various applications including in medical devices, cosmetic packaging, secondary batteries, and more.

ㆍCreating a FUTURE FOOD is possible by using advanced, eco-friendly materials to produce a food substitute.

De-plasticization emergency

As you may be aware, our planet is a plastic dump. Every year, a staggering 350 million tons of plastic waste is generated worldwide, which is equivalent to filling up 10 million trucks. This plastic pollution is affecting our air, soil, and oceans, and may even lead to the creation of “plastic humans” in the coming decades. Shockingly, microplastics have been found in human genitals, blood, and even fetuses. It’s time to take action and limit our use of plastic. One way we can do this is by using tumblers instead of disposable cups, silicone straws instead of plastic straws, and gradually reducing our plastic consumption. However, the plastic waste we throw away often takes hundreds of years to degrade and ends up piling up in mountains of waste. ANPOLY has found a solution to this problem through its innovative “rotting plastic” technology.

This is made of rice

ANPOLY has developed a new type of “biodegradable plastic” made from food waste. They extract cellulose from rice husks, which are usually discarded during the threshing process of harvested rice. Cellulose, a fiber found in tree tissue and common dietary fiber, is the most abundant organic substance on Earth. ANPOLY has created nano cellulose by making the cellulose nano-sized, one hundred thousandths the thickness of a human hair, using their proprietary nanobiotechnology. This new material is inexpensive, non-toxic, and helps reduce carbon emissions. Nanocellulose is 100% biodegradable, so it doesn’t create waste and replaces traditional non-biodegradable plastics that cause environmental problems.

Surprisingly, it is possible to make a car out of the advanced new material nanocellulose ‘re:ancel’, produced by ANPOLY. The reason behind this is that when cellulose is broken down to the nanoscale, it acquires new properties and characteristics. These nano-sized fibers are impermeable to microscopic particles when stretched, making them dense and robust. Moreover, increasing the strength of nanocellulose creates a synthetic polymer material that is lighter but stronger than steel. ANPOLY’s eco-friendly material can be utilized in various industrial applications such as automotive interiors and exteriors, building materials, mobile phone materials, and secondary battery separators.

Future food will come from technology

If there was plastic made from rice, wouldn’t we be able to eat plastic like rice? ANPOLY, a company that creates natural plastics from food by-products such as rice husks and coffee grounds, is developing materials that could be used for food products such as meat substitutes. ANPOLY’s nano-scale plastic materials could be utilized in the production of alternative meat products. The firm yet elastic texture of these plastics helps recreate the desired “chewy” mouthfeel and taste of real meat. To achieve this, ANPOLY is collaborating with the Korean food tech startup ‘SeaWith’ to create new materials that will improve the texture of artificial meat. Furthermore, the remaining natural substances can easily decompose through the action of microorganisms in nature. This means that the future of food will involve a “resource cycle” that originates from nature and returns to nature. And it is only through technology that this can be made possible.