Bioplastic biodegradable in natural environment made from shrimp shells

Scientists at the Wyss Research Institute at Harvard University are studying how to make biodegradable plastics in natural environments made from shrimp shells to minimize plastic waste, which are difficult to decompose causing pollution. environment worldwide.

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Bioplastic biodegradable in natural environment made from shrimp shells Picture 1
Bio-plastics are made from shrimp shells that are cheap and environmentally friendly.

Scientists used a substance called chitosan to make bioplastic capable of biodegradable. This chitosan is found in shrimp, insects, mushroom cells and butterfly wings. In particular, shrimp shells are available waste in the seafood processing industry, so they will focus on extracting chitosan from this material source.

The production of bioplastic made from shrimp shells is very cheap because it only uses conventional production techniques. Scientists have combined chitosan from shrimp shells and nanoscale silk proteins to create a bioplastic known as Shrilk.

After finishing, Shrilk plastic will be transparent like a natural shrimp shell, very strong and flexible. Shrilk resins can be applied in many areas such as mobile phone production or even chess pieces.

After being discharged into the natural environment, Shrilk resins can not only be completely decomposed in just a few weeks but the chitosan and protein contained in this special organic resin when decomposed in the soil will create a nutrient supply. plants.

Bioplastic biodegradable in natural environment made from shrimp shells Picture 2
The plant germinates in the cup containing the debris of the Shrilk material.

Every year, the United States discharges into the environment 34 tons of plastic waste, most of which are difficult to decompose plastic, but only 7% are recycled. Among them, a lot of plastic waste goes to the ocean, forming floating islands on the water, threatening the habitat of marine species. Shrilk is the first positive step to help us find a substitute for plastic in the future.