New Biodegradable Golf Ball Made from Discarded Lobster Shells
CREDIT: University of Maine Golfers on the high seas can breathe
a little easier — and so can the marine life around them —
thanks to a biodegradable golf ball made from lobster shells.
The ball is intended for use on cruise ships and so should lead
to fewer regular golf balls ending up in the ocean. Though
biodegradable golf balls already exist, this ball is the first
to be made with crushed lobster shells with a biodegradable
binder and coating, creating value from waste material. "We’re
using a byproduct of the lobster canning industry which is
currently miserably underutilized — it ends up in a landfill,"
said David Neivandt, a professor of biological and chemical
engineering at the University of Maine, in a statement. The new
lobster shell balls should not come with a high price tag,
either. Biodegradable golf balls now on the market retail for a
little under $1 per ball, and the raw materials for the lobster
shell balls cost as little as 19