but does it contain GMOs?

Could Your CD Contain Corn?

Martyn Williams, IDG News Service

Sanyo Electric has developed an optical disc based on
a polymer derived from corn which, the company says,
is as sturdy as current plastic discs but will
biodegrade when disposed of.

The company, which is claiming a world first for the
technology, will begin selling its "MildDisc" in
December. It is initially targeting volume customers
producing prerecorded CDs, such as music CDs,
VideoCDs, or CD-ROMs, said Ryan Watson, a Tokyo-based
spokesperson for Sanyo, which is headquartered in
Osaka.

The discs have been designed to tackle a problem
common to many plastics upon disposal: If burned,
toxic gases can be released into the atmosphere
causing health and global warming (news - web sites)
concerns; but if buried, they don't break down,
causing a potential problem for future generations.
The MildDisc will degrade after a period of about 50
to 100 years and break down into water and carbon
dioxide, Watson said. This time span means users don't
have to worry about losing information during the
lifetime of the discs, he said.
Out on the Farm

The production process begins when Cargill Dow in
Nebraska converts corn into a polylactic acid. This is
done by milling the corn to separate out the starch
and then processing the starch to get unrefined
dextrose. Using a fermentation process similar to that
of beer production, the dextrose is converted into
lactic acid, according to the company's Web site.

The acid is converted into a polymer to form the base
of the optical disc by Sanyo in a process the company
developed with Japan's Mitsui Chemicals, for which the
companies have applied for patents, Watson said.

Sanyo estimates that around 85 corn kernels, each
weighing an average of 0.5 grams, are needed to
produce enough polymer for a single 4.7-inch optical
disc, so an average ear of corn can produce around ten
discs. The International Recording Media Association
estimates world demand for CDs at around 9 billion
annually, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (news
- web sites) estimates world corn production at about
600 million tons, so producing enough polymer to
satisfy the demand for discs would require less than
0.1 percent of the world's corn production.
Coming Soon?

Initially the company will focus on discs for
prerecorded applications, although it is considering
recordable and rewritable versions of the MildDisc.
DVDs based on the same technology are also a future
possibility, according to Watson.

When sales begin at the end of this year, the blanks
disc will sell in bulk for roughly three times the
price of current plastic discs. However, Sanyo
estimates it will be able to reduce this premium to
around 1.2 times as production ramps up and volume
shipments begin.

Cargill Dow is using the same initial process and its
own refining process to produce its NatureWorks PLA
polymer film. Several companies are using the film to
produce a range of goods including cartons, candy
wrappers, kitchen utensils, and acrylic sheets and fabrics.

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