Argentine students develop eco-leather and plastic-based fuel

Students in Argentina have developed two distinct sustainable technologies using waste materials. In Pomán, Catamarca, students from Escuela Secundaria N° 75 created ‘Ecopenca’, a vegetable leather made from prickly pear (tuna) pads. By combining cactus pulp with natural binders like starch, glycerin, and vinegar, the team produced a waterproof, flexible, and resistant material intended as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based synthetic leathers.

In Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires, students at the Escuela de Educación Secundaria Técnica N. º 5 developed a project called ‘PP Argento’. Using thermal pyrolysis, the students transform plastic waste, specifically polyethylene and polypropylene, into synthetic fuel. The team successfully tested the resulting liquid by using it to power a 150cc motorcycle engine.