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Patricia Aymà Maldonado

👤 Speaker
226 total appearances

Appearances Over Time

Podcast Appearances

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

Biodegradable doesn't mean that it disappears anywhere.

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

I think that the word has often been used too loosely.

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

So, Lily, are you afraid to walk down the street with a cardboard folder because it might biodegrade in your hands?

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

No, just kidding.

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

No, of course not.

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

So you trust that it's made of an organic material, this cardboard folder, and that will only break down when the time is right.

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

And you know it will never turn into microplastic.

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

So that's the exact same idea.

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

The important thing to understand is that biodegradation depends on the environment, not on the material's performance.

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

Our bioplastic work likes any conventional plastic during its normal use, and it can handle temperature, pressure, transport, and production processes.

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

And durability is not the issue.

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

The biodegradation process only starts when the material enters the right conditions, humidity, microorganism, or a composting environment.

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

Yeah, depending on the final formulation and the final use of the plastic.

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

So for example, if we create the material for agriculture films, we can program it to biodegrade in the soil once the crop cycle is finished.

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

And if we design a premium parfum cup, then it will have like another type of formulation that assures that only with a big temperature in an industrial composting system,

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

Can you start biodegradation?

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

I think the most important question here is what are you going to use your bioplastic?

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

Will have a formulation that will like access faster humidity and microorganisms inside or not?

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

Yeah, so scaling with biotechnology is never a linear process.

TED Talks Daily
The brilliance of bacteria (and how they combat waste) | Patricia Aymà Maldonado

Every step becomes more complex as you grow.