LSU Professor Naohiro Kato – Back with Better Biodegradable Beads

Professor Naohiro Kato and his students have been working on a new iteration of Kato’s longstanding project, biodegradable Mardi Gras beads. This year’s beads will be thrown at Krewe of Freret and Tucks, and contain the same algae-infused biodegradable plastic technology as the previous iteration. The beads themselves now contain okra seeds, which Kato hypothesizes will sprout when the beads are composted. 

Kato’s goal is not to become a biodegradable bead manufacturer. He claims that his goal is to develop a model for biodegradable beads that could be printed freely by residents with access to a library or school 3D-printer. 

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