LSU professor working to create biodegradable Mardi Gras beads

An LSU professor is refining a process to make biodegradable Mardi Gras beads.

Naohiro Kato, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, has been working on the project for more than a year. He has patent applications pending on various formulations and methods of making the biodegradable beads.

For one of his inventions, Kato has developed a process to grow a species of microscopic algae called diatoms, harvest it and process it into a powder that can form beads and doubloons. After the fun is had, these celebratory throws will biodegrade in soil in about one to two years.

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Kato got the idea for biodegradable beads after one of his students accidentally discovered the basic ingredients.

“My student was supposed to come into the lab three nights in a row to move our test tube samples of algae from the centrifuge to the freezer, but one night he forgot,” Kato said.

The next morning, Kato found a large glob of algae accumulating oils — one of the ingredients used for bioplastic production — on the bottom of the centrifuge.

Kato immediately thought of using it to make Mardi Gras beads. Earlier, he had been at a party chatting with people who wanted to make Mardi Gras more “green.” He thought, this could be the biodegradable solution they were looking for.

He got down to work growing a large quantity of microscopic algae, or microalgae, in a 6-foot kiddie pool outside. Louisiana’s warm climate, sunshine, water and nutrients, such as fertilizer, make it an ideal environment to naturally mass-produce microalgae. He grows a species of microalgae that is easy to grow, strong and profitable, especially for the nutraceutical industry, which produces vitamins and supplements.

The biggest challenge to production is offsetting the high cost to manufacture a more environmentally sustainable bead. Kato estimates it will cost about $40,000 to produce the first batch of 3,000 biodegradable bead necklaces or about $13 per necklace; although a second batch could be produced for $1 or less per necklace.

He has received some assistance from the LSU Board of Supervisors’ Leveraging Innovation for Technology Transfer grant. He has also been approached by angel investors.

Meanwhile, Kato is in discussion with a nutraceutical company and awaiting a contract in order to begin production of biodegradable Mardi Gras beads.