Astronauts use Brazilian plastic made from sugar cane in space station

The astronauts who are on the international space station began to use Brazilian plastic made from sugar cane, to create tools in space. The raw material came into space through a partnership between Braskem, a producer of plastics, and the Made in Space, an American company that is a supplier of Nasa.
The astronauts use the plastic to build various parts from a 3D printer that operates in zero gravity. Through this technology, the space station crew can receive an email with the digital design and print them in space.
For more than a year, Braskem and Made in Space develop the technology for use in space. The first batch of plastics was sent to the space station in March in a rocket that broke air force station Cape Canaveral in the United States. The first piece with the material was produced in September-a connector tube for irrigation of vegetables.
Green plastic
The so-called "green plastic" is made from a by-product of ethanol, fuel made from sugar cane. The product is exclusive of Braskem and began to be manufactured on an industrial scale in 2010 in the Triumph, in Rio Grande do Sul.
Braskem''s intention is to use the experience in space to find new applications for their product, focused especially on 3D printing technology. "The technology has the potential to impact the plastic chain, by enabling new applications and mass customization made with a raw material renewable source," says Gustavo Sergi, Director of Renewable Chemicals company.