By mixing cassava starch of five- ten percent strength with polythene granules, the new technology adds a much-soughted disintegrative feature to plastic. Cassava starch, according to ICAR research gleanings, has been found to yield better bio-degradability performance and cost-effectiveness than maize-starch and corn-starch earlier tried for arriving at bio-degradable plastic.

Even as the Ministry of Environment and Forest is yet to evaluate the full scope of the cassava plastic with claims of bio-degradablility, multinationals like Biotech andNovamont are reportedly lavishing interest in the technology that could solve the problem of 2.5 crore tonnes of undestroyable plastic spilled over the earth every year.

While the eco-freindly cassava plastic has proved an instant attention-grabber for the low profile institute with little more than five patents to its credit, the CTCRI scientists also steer clear of the controversies that often follow successes. Even as the CTCRI plastic is dubbed as a potential threat to Monsanto's eco-friendly plastic in performance and cost, S Edison, Director, CTCRI was tightlipped on making a comparison. "We have never claimed 100 percent bio-degradablity in cassava plastic", Edison said answering a major point raised by critics.

The cassava starch, processed through CTCRI technology, basically staggers abd breaks into the close-knit chain of plastic molecules, managing disintegration of the material to shreds. This shredding, however, is more than what has been achieved by microorganisms like bacteria or byinternational R&D, Edison said. National Research and Development Corporation (NRDC), with whom ICAR has an MoU on channelising technology transfer, had earlier acquired an Indian patent on the cassava plastic technology. Within two years of patenting, the technology had been licensed by atleast four Indian firms, who are already in the process of putting it to commercial use.