They develop ecological materials to replace plastic packaging

According to a study published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, a team of researchers developed eco-friendly packaging from crab shells and tree fibers to replace traditional plastic food packaging.

The new eco-friendly envelope is made by spraying multiple layers of chitin from crab envelopes and tree cellulose to form a flexible film similar to traditional plastic packaging.

"The main point of reference with which we compare it is PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, one of the most common petroleum materials in transparent packaging seen in vending machines and beverage bottles gaseous, "he said. lead author, Carson Meredith.

According to the authors, the new material showed a 67% reduction in oxygen permeability on some forms of PET, which means that in theory, food could be kept cooler more long time.

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Cellulose, which comes from plants, is the most common natural biopolymer on the planet, followed by chitin found in seafood, insects and fungi.

The team devised a method to create a film by placing the cellulose and chitin nanofibers in water and spraying them on a surface of alternating layers.

Once completely dry, the material is soft, strong, transparent and compostable.

"We have been looking for cellulose nanocrystals for several years and are exploring ways to improve those used in food packaging, because of the importance of the renewable packaging market and their importance as the population continues to grow, "Meredith pointed out

Researchers have recognized that because chitin nanofibers are positively charged, and that cellulose nanocrystals are negatively charged, they might work well as alternate layers in coatings as they would form an effective interface between them.

In this sense, Meredith explained that "it is difficult" for a gas molecule to penetrate a solid crystal because it must break its structure.

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