A group hoping to develop plastics from Maine potatoes has netted more than $650,000.
The Sustainable Bioplastics Consortium, led by InterfaceFABRIC Inc. of Guilford, has received a $200,000 grant from the Maine Technology Institute, plus an additional $459,000 from several Maine businesses and the Environmental Health Strategy Center, a public health advocacy organization. The money will fund 18 months of research into the feasibility and marketability of a plastic resin known as polylactic acid made from potato starch instead of petroleum, a press release said.
Other consortium members include the University of Maine, the Maine Potato Board, foam manufacturer Rynel Inc. of Wiscasset, and Tom’s of Maine of Kennebunk.