LSU Develops Biodegradable Mardi Gras Beads for Louisiana

🐊 KNGT 🐊 | Louisiana — Funny how little we know at times. This idea? Completely new to me too, I just learned about it.

Get our free mobile app

According to LSU.edu, Mardi Gras beads made from biodegradable materials from Louisiana State University. Instead of piling up in landfills or clogging city drains, they dissolve naturally in soil.

More than five hundred feet of natural breakdown beads landed on parade paths that year, just to see what happens. At first glance, half a thousand seems low, but consider all the seafoam-colored plastic bits usually thrown annually across towns. Picture them piling up this season.

Inventor Naohiro Kato, a scholar at LSU’s Department of Biological Sciences, came up with the Idea.

How are Biodegradable Beads Made?

Algae starts it off. Down at LSU’s Baton Rouge campus, Kato and his team raised the green stuff inside a big 18-foot tank. After that comes the hard work, they pull it out, dry every bit, and grind it into powder. This stuff makes green plastic that dissolves over time. Once Mardi Gras ends, nature takes back the glitter, soil can finish it off in just 12 to 24 months.

Starting small, the Krewe of Freret sees their beads turning first into unique throws at events. Over time, those items might begin shaping how people experience the neighborhood, slowly building deeper meaning beyond just fun.

Black beads come from Noble Plastics, run by Missy Rogers who graduated from LSU. Spell out "MADE WITH ALGAE LSU" along the strand if you connect them all. Molds shape each piece before being tied onto hemp line instead of chain links made from synthetics.

How much do Biodegradable Beads Cost?

This part is not fun. Money matters here. One strand of those beads costs roughly five dollars at this time. That's roughly one hundredfold higher than what you'd pay for basic plastic ones. Should they be made in large quantities, the expense might fall between two and five bucks per strand. Thanks to funding from LSU, the initial run of 500 strands now exists because of that support.

Algae finds new purposes thanks to Kato. Fucoxanthin stands out among these compounds, it stops oxidation, fights tumor growth too. You will find it sold as pills or skin creams worldwide already. This kind of substance might ease expenses when crafting green plastics that break down easily.

Beads from Kato? They’re not about tossing glitter. More like sparks to kick off talk. What if Mardi Gras changes, less scattered shine, yet still holds weight. Moments people reach for later. Fragments of plastic drift slower than cheers. The gathering remains unchanged. Trailing residue lingers longer.