Arizona State University researchers are starting a study looking into how plant-based materials might play into making semiconductors more sustainable.
They hope the material could end up replacing fossil fuel-based plastics.
Most plastic products are made from fossil fuel-based materials, whether that is natural gas or crude oil.
The Minnesota-based company Cargill is collaborating with the researchers to look into how one of its products called Priamine could be used in making semiconductors in phones and computers.
Tim Long is a molecular sciences professor at ASU. He says using these bio-sourced production materials could help manufacturing be more sustainable.
“How do we take advantage of the feedstocks and things we begin with, you know, and bring them back in a circularized way, which I think will make our nation more competitive from an industrial standpoint," Long said.
The study will take a year to complete.
