Throwing and catching gold, green, and purple beads is a cherished Mardi Gras tradition, but as it turns out, these petroleum-based plastic beads have a heavy impact on the New Orleans environment long after celebrations have ended.
Traditional Mardi Gras beads are produced from natural gas and oil-derived feedstock and take an estimated 500 years to decompose. And when they do, they release heavy metals and other toxins into the environment. According to Louisiana State University, they can even clog sewer systems across the city.
So, Alexis Strain and Lauren Rogers, two biological sciences students at LSU, teamed up to create a biodegradable alternative.
These efforts started in Dr. Naohiro Kato’s lab, where the professor began the work of producing Mardi Gras beads from microscopic algae in 2021. His goal was to get the beads to decompose in months instead of decades, but they were still very expensive to make and scale.
Now, his current team of students has a new approach.
Rogers and Strain are producing the beads using 3D printers with bio-based plastics called polyhydroxyalkanoates. Then, their goal is to have those bio-based plastics degrade with the help of plants and soil bacteria.
They’re called PlantMe Beads.
“Developing alternatives for Mardi Gras beads and how we celebrate Mardi Gras is certainly possible,” Strain said in a statement for the university. “And using scientific research is one of the ways that we're able to address these problems.”
Dr. Kato’s team theorized that inserting seeds into the beads could accelerate their decomposition, as the germinated seeds may attract bacteria in the soil that promotes faster breakdown of the plastics.
The beads look like tiny, spherical cages that the seeds can be placed into during production. After celebrations come to a close, the beads can be easily planted in a pot or garden at home and will grow into “Earth-friendly” plants.
So far, sweet pea seeds have yielded the best harvest.
“We can put a little message on it and tell them, ‘Hey, take me home, plant me,” Rogers said. “And they'll start growing it and hopefully see plastic degradation within a month.”
While the researchers have proven the concept, the lab team will now focus on optimizing their final product by finding the perfect combination of plant-based polymers to use in the 3D printing process, reducing costs, and scaling production.
Currently, the beads cost 50 cents per strand, making them a competitive alternative to traditional beads.
Another cost- and energy-saving facet of the invention is that they can be created right in New Orleans, instead of being imported.
“I see 3D printing as a potential solution to some broader issues with plastic,” Strain explained, “because you can print things that are very specific to your needs without the need for transport and shipping, which can add additional ecological costs.”
Dr. Kato said the aim is to mass-produce the PlantMe Beads for Mardi Gras festivities in 2026 and is already in talks with Krewe of Freret parade organizers.
The lab also hopes to make the 3D plans for the beads an open-source resource, so people can 3D print them on their own.
“We hope PlantMe Beads will inspire many to embrace a more sustainable Mardi Gras tradition,” Dr. Kato said, “throwing and catching beads that are environmentally friendly.”
“We hope that if they get left behind,” Rogers added in a video for LSU, “... then it can bloom right there and start degrading.”
Header image courtesy of LSU Media Relations
