Cheaper, biodegradable plastics from plants such as palm trees and beets

From cost-effective, petroleum-based alternatives to a new discovery that leads to a cheaper way to convert plants into common consumer plastics that decompose over time, providing an alternative to recycling plastics, it is in effect exciting to observe that, scientists from IBM Research have identified a chemical catalyst that can be used to create cheaper, biodegradable plastics from plants such as palm trees and beets. 

Then one can observe that, these inexpensive plastics can be used for making common consumer plasticware, such as eating utensils, as well as medical devices.

The new catalyst is an organic substance that lowers the energy required for the conversion from plant to plastic to occur. 

According to scientists from IBM Research, it does not contain heavy metals and can thus degrade in the environment over time just like the plastic itself.