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A team of researchers has developed eco-friendly packaging of crab shells and tree fibers to replace traditional plastic food packaging, according to a study published in the journal Monday ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
To produce this material, scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology (USA) analyzed the two most common biopolymers of nature: cellulose and chitin
The new ecological envelope is made by spraying multiple of chitin layers from crab shells and tree cellulose to form a flexible film similar to that of traditional plastic packaging.
"The main point of reference with which we compare it is PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, one of the most common petroleum-based materials in transparent packaging, which can be seen in vending machines and Soft drink bottles ", I the main author, Carson Meredith, was born.
According to the authors, the new material has shown a 67% reduction in oxygen permeability on some forms of PET, which means that in theory, food could stay fresh more time
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 for creating 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 were looking for cellulose nanocrystals for several years and to explore ways to improve those used in food packaging, due to the importance of the market for renewable and renewable packaging. Meredith says, "Chitin nanofibers are positively charged and cellulose nanocrystals are negatively charged."
In this sense, Meredith explained that it is difficult for a gas molecule to penetrate into a solid crystal because that it must break its structure.
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