Scientists from Lithuania’s Kaunas University of Technology have created a bioplastic for food packaging, which will degrade within two years.

Paulis

Image: Lithuania’s scientists have developed bioplastic for food packaging applications. Photo: courtesy of Kaunas University of Technology.

The new biodegradable plastic, which decays in a compost bin in a couple of years, is transparent and all the materials in its composition are suitable for contact with food.

According to the university, the amount of plastic produced in a year is roughly the same as the entire weight of humanity across the globe and only 9% of it is recycled with the remaining slowly degrading in the landfills.

The disintegration process of plastics takes several hundred to thousands of years, and during this time, plastic disintegrates into microplastic particles and mixes in ground waters, which affects food and environment.

To reduce plastic waste, the European Parliament has approved a law to ban a range of single-use plastic items such as straws, cotton buds and cutlery by 2021. In addition, multiple legislations across the globe are being passed to decrease plastic waste.

A team of researchers from the KTU Faculty of Chemical Technology has developed a fully-compostable packaging for food products from bioplastic, which disintegrates with the support of microorganisms.

Compostability is a characteristic of a product, which enables it to biodegrade under specific conditions under the influence of microorganisms.

As per EU standards, in industrial compost centres, which sustain the temperature of 58C, bioplastic degrades within six months. The process is estimated to take a couple of years in a compost bin at home.

Bioplastic developed at KTU laboratories is made from cellulose, which is a major building block of plant cells’ membranes. Derived from timber, cellulose is a common biopolymer found in nature.

Lead researcher Dr Paulius Pavelas Danilovas said: “We are used to get sandwiches, snacks, pastries, sweets and many other products in a paper bag with a plastic window. With a clear window on the front face, the products in the bag can be viewed easily.

“Although paper is biologically degradable, it is complicated to separate paper from plastic, and the package is considered non-recyclable and non-compostable.”