In recent years, the quest for sustainable materials has led researchers to explore innovative solutions. Now a ground-breaking discovery in this arena has emerged: a newly developed polymer that is both biodegradable and edible—all made possible by nanotechnology.
Today, the world is filled with billions of tons of plastic, yet currently, only a small portion (less than one-fifth) of plastic produced is biodegradable and even then, the process is complex and time-consuming.
As global awareness of plastic pollution intensifies, the need to find compostable polymers which can easily break down in nature without leaving harmful toxins becomes ever more urgent.
At present, numerous industries are embracing composite plastics with enthusiasm. These materials are created by combining two or more pure substances and offer a range of advantageous attributes, such as being lightweight yet remaining strong. As a result, they are being utilized to produce essential components for manufacturing in the aerospace and automotive sectors, as well as consumer goods and construction.
Now, in an effort to develop a composite plastic that satisfies both industrial requirements and environmental standards, researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science have been studying materials which are both cheap and abundant hoping to develop and enhance them for use as a compostable industrial feedstock.
This led the team to analyse tyrosine, a commonly found amino acid known for creating robust nanocrystals, as a viable ingredient for a biodegradable composite plastic. After evaluating tyrosine's compatibility with various polymers, they ultimately selected hydroxyethyl cellulose – a derivative of cellulose widely used in the production of pharmaceuticals and beauty products.
According to a recent publication in ACS Nano, the team have now made a breakthrough by creating a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly composite plastic—a biodegradable polymer produced with crystals from a biological substance. It is an innovative material which is turning heads in both the scientific and polymer manufacturing communities due to its low-cost industrial feedstock, exceptional strength, and ease of preparation.
As the study states, the team has, “fabricated a biodegradable composite material based on hydroxyethyl cellulose polymer and tyrosine nanocrystals, which demonstrates enhanced strength and ductility (typically mutually excluding properties), superior to most biodegradable plastics. This emergent behavior results from an assembly pattern that leads to a uniform nanoscale morphology and strong interactions between the components.”
When mixed together in boiling water, hydroxyethyl cellulose and tyrosine form a powerful composite plastic. This new material is exceptionally strong, as proven in testing where a 0.04-millimeter strip supported six kilograms without breaking.
Additionally, this composite plastic has unique characteristics that make it valuable for industrial use. Often, strengthened materials lose their flexibility, but this composite plastic maintains its ductility thanks to the integration of tyrosine nanocrystals with the hydroxyethyl cellulose. In short, combining these two materials creates a synergy that results in extraordinary properties and has enormous potential for industry.
Meanwhile, its environmental properties are so clear it is in fact possible to consume the new nano-assisted polymer without adverse effects. This is because cellulose and tyrosine are both edible materials found in different types of hard cheese—although its taste has yet to be determined as the researchers have not eaten any due to the lab's lack of hygiene standards for food consumption.
Looking ahead, the team is hoping to find partners within the chemical industry to turn the discovery into a practical business which can make a profit while also helping to solve the issue of plastic waste.
“The follow-up study that we have already started could advance the commercial potential of this new material, since we have replaced the boiling in water with melting, as is more common in industry,” explains Prof. Boris Rybtchinski, who took a lead role in the research. “This means that we heat up the biodegradable polymers until they become liquid and then mix in the tyrosine or other suitable materials.”
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The discovery of a newly synthesized polymer that is both biodegradable and potentially even edible presents an exciting leap forward in sustainable technology.
While nanomaterials have long been hailed as the raw material of the future, providing conventional industrial feedstocks with added desirable properties and unique-selling-points, the ability for nanotechnology to solve the pressing issue of plastic pollution could revolutionize the polymer production industry.
Time at last, for the application of nanomaterials in polymers to take centre stage in creating global solutions. Creating a biodegradable plastic that could not only be cheap but could also be tasty.
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