Researchers at the Department of Paper Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, IIT (Roorkee) have developed a substitute for single-use plastics packaging manufactured by 60 percent plant-based polysaccharides without using chemicals. This substitute for synthetic plastic is fully biodegradable within a week, and it is non-toxic and suitable for different packaging applications.
THE RESEARCH
The research was led by professor Kirtiraj K. Gaikwad and his MTech. (Packaging Tech.) student Mr Lokesh Kumar to develop this pioneering alternative to synthetic plastics.
The plant mucilage was mixed with gelatine (colorless and tasteless water-soluble protein).
This mixture solution undergoes 12- hour mixing, and film is fabricated from the obtained solution. These films are malleable enough to be developed into various packaging forms, including shopping bags, pouches, sachets, etc.
This plant-based plastic will help to reduce plastic pollution commonly caused by synthetic plastics. The developed plastic was made without adding any chemical, which is widely used in plastic processing, said Mr Lokesh Kumar.
ENVIRONMENTAL PACKAGING
The demand for environment-friendly packaging materials has considerably increased because of environmental concerns regarding the use of synthetic petroleum-based plastics.
Developed plant-based plastics can be used in packaging sectors, the largest consumers of single-use plastic.
The packaging industry is the largest and most growing consumer of synthetic plastics derived from fossil fuels, with food packaging plastics accounting for the bulk of plastic waste that is polluting the environment.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board report, in just five years, the gram per capita generation of plastic has jumped from roughly 700 to almost 2500.
Unfortunately, only a tiny amount of this plastic generated is recycled, and the rest is administered into the environment through various polluting catalysts.
The research work was funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under an INSPIRE faculty grant.
