A new study conducted by Indian scientists shows that transparent wood is expected to replace glass or plastic in the manufacture of car windshields, transparent packaging and biomedical devices. Transparent wood is renewable and biodegradable, reducing its ecological impact on the environment. In addition, it is five times more cost effective than glass, thus significantly reducing energy costs. The research is in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

With about 400 million tons of plastic waste generated annually worldwide and an increasing amount of single-use plastic thrown away after use, clear wood is emerging as one of the most promising alternative materials for the future, according to the United Nations Environment Program.

Transparent wood was originally made by German scientist Siegfeld Fink in 1992 and has since been improved by other researchers. Transparent wood is made by removing lignin, a natural biopolymer that supports plant tissue, from the wood and replacing it with a clear plastic material. Unlike plastic, it is biodegradable and non-toxic.

the latest study authors, Indian institute of technology, biochemical engineering, an assistant professor in the college of Romano prodi, especially darfur said: "the plastic has been used as a substitute for fragile glass, but according to our study, transparent wood is a better alternative. "Transparent wood can replace petroleum-based plastics such as polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, acrylic acid and polyethylene, which are harmful to the environment."

Studies have shown that using sodium chlorite to remove lignin from wood and permeate with epoxy resin to produce transparent wood has a much smaller environmental impact than the currently widely adopted method of using methacrylate polymers.

Anish Chatos, a researcher at the Institute of Wood Science and Technology in Bangalore, India, said transparent wood has attracted a lot of attention because of its good physical, mechanical and optical properties. He said: "Transparent wood is mainly developed using sheet wood and possesses good strength like ordinary wood, but is lighter in weight. The addition of special materials to give it a variety of advanced properties makes it a unique bio-based substrate that can be used in many fields such as construction, energy storage, flexible electronics and packaging, "he said.

Plastic Industry Video