Create an ecological shell with crab shells and tree fibers – Radio Santa Cruz



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Washington, July 28 .- US scientists have developed an ecological packaging from crab shells and tree fibers to replace the traditional plastic food packaging, published today. by ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering.

In this paper, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have badyzed the two most common biopolymers in nature: cellulose and chitin.

After that, they sprayed several layers of chitin from crab shells and cellulose from the trees to form a flexible film similar to that of traditional plastic packaging.

The reference point with which they made the comparison was polyethylene terephthalate (PET), one of the most common petroleum-based materials in transparent packaging seen in vending machines and the bottles of soft drinks, said Carson Meredith, lead author of the study.

He explained that the new material showed a 67% reduction in oxygen permeability on some forms of PET, which means that in theory the food could stay cooler longer.

The team devised a method to create a film by placing nanofibers. cellulose and chitin in water and spray them on a surface of alternating layers.Once dry, the material is flexible, strong, transparent and co mpostable

For several years, researchers have been looking for Cellulose nanocrystals and explored ways to improve those used in food packaging, because of the importance of renewable containers and their importance as the population grows. Meredith. (PL)

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