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The use of plastic for packaging continues to grow as the world's population grows. Environmentalists say that a biodegradable packaging is now more necessary than ever, especially when it comes to plastics used to protect our food. But now, a biodegradable film made of seafood and trees that is being developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology could meet that need.
Researcher Carson Meredith is interested in exploring alternatives to the crude-based plastics that are currently used. "About eight years ago, we became involved in what is called forest nanotechnology," he told Voice of America. It is an emerging field that analyzes the use of wood and other plant resources to extract nanocrystalline high-yielding cellulose materials and uses them in the creation of lightweight, high-strength materials. "
This means that the same cellulose fibers found in the woody plants used to make paper can also be used to replace the plastic packaging material. Meredith's research team discovered that by combining the cellulose of the plant with chitin, the hard material that forms clam shells and the lobster exoskeleton, a biodegradable coating could be created .
At the molecular level, chitin and cellulose have opposite charges, which means that they attract one another. Georgia Tech scientists used this property when they sprayed very thin, alternating layers of both materials on a base.
It is believed that all plastics are made from crude oil. Susan Selke, director of the Center for Innovation and Container Sustainability, explained that technically, the term "plastic" refers to "a long-chain carbon-based structure that can be molded by applying heat and pressure. Then, in the case of the new plastic film, Meredith and his co-authors used a clear and flexible PLA base and applied alternating layers of chitin and nano cellulose fibers dried in a thin but durable transparent plastic like the one used [19659003] Meredith notes that her research shows that chitin and cellulose "work much better in two or three thin layers, than they do as independent materials of equivalent thickness".
The new material is exceptionally good at keeping oxygen, which would make it useful for food packaging. Meredith says that they have not formally tested it as a food packaging material, but one of his attractions is that it would act as a "food and drink." packaging material that would be completely biodegradable.
Meredith expects to see the new material as an alternative to the green future, although the challenges continue. "I think the main challenge in the market would be to have a scalable supply chain of raw materials – for the moment, that hardly exists," he said. he told VOA.
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