Researchers Analyze Avocado Seed as an Alternative to Plastic Use

Faced with this challenge, Duván Camilo Fuquen Espinel, a Master's in Physics from the National University of Colombia (UNAL) Manizales Campus, sought to use the pit, bone, or seed of the avocado to create a plastic-like material that does not pollute and is biodegradable. He achieved this after months of research using accessible processes, combining physics, chemistry, and scientific creativity. The key lies in starch, a natural carbohydrate present in foods like potato, corn, and plantain, as well as in avocado seeds. Plants use it to store energy, and it is also biodegradable, meaning it decomposes in nature without leaving toxic residues. The researcher reduced starch to nanoparticles with the support of Professor Posidia Pineda Gómez from the Physics and Chemistry Department of UNAL Manizales Campus. They began with 10 kg of pits or bones that were washed and ground into a white flour-like substance. They were then mixed with diluted sulfuric acid to "break" the large starch ...