10 Biodegradable and eco-friendly materials that can replace plastic

Nobody would have imagined that this great invention of the 20th century, plastic, would become a huge environmental problem decades later. The situation caused by the use of the material is so serious that there is even the so-called great island of garbage, which arose because of the misuse and misuse of this material. This big “spot” in the middle of the Pacific is just one example of the massive damage caused by plastic.

O awesome.club cares about the Environment, that’s why it wants to share with you 10 alternative materials capable of replacing this material.

In Finland, researchers took materials provided by nature as a model and created a resistant, firm and biodegradable product as a solution to the use of plastic. The invention arose from a combination of wood fibers and spider web silk. The advantage of these 2 materials is that they do not harm nature, like microplastics. In addition, the silk used is not taken from real spider webs, but from one produced by researchers that uses bacteria with synthetic DNA. As part of the so-called Korvaa Project, the first headphones of this material were created.

In Nuevo León, Mexico, the company BIOFASE produces straws with a unique technology in the manufacture of biopolymers. Agro-industrial waste such as avocado seeds are transformed into tons of straws (and now cutlery) that have a shelf life of up to 240 days, when they can be integrated into the earth.

In New York City, USA, there is a company called Ecovative Design that uses mycelium, the vegetative root structure of a fungus, shaped, customized and compostable as a high-performance packaging solution. Its cost is competitive with conventional foams made from petroleum. The company’s mission is to replace plastic, massively transforming the way people consume.

Created as a non-toxic and biodegradable product, there is a bioplastic made with nopal, a cactus shaped like a racket. Researcher Sandra Pascoe, from the University of the Atemajac Valley in Mexico, discovered the benefits of using this material as a biopolymer. The product’s degradation time is only one month and it may even be edible. The goal is that, every time they are used, the plants can continue to live and produce more fruit.

Scientists from the Institute of Material Sciences in Seville (CSIC-US) and the University of Malaga (UMA), in Spain, have created a biodegradable plastic made from tomato skins. According to the study, its main component is a biopolymer called “cutin”, found in the epidermis of the fruit. Cutin is a non-toxic, biocompatible and biodegradable product found in nature, for example as a protective layer on fruits and leaves. This allows its use to be adapted to the commercial environment to, for example, produce food packaging.

Ecoshell is a Mexican company that produces biodegradable plastic materials made from cornstarch. In this way, packaging, bags and disposables degrade in between 90 to 240 days without leaving toxic residues in the environment, thanks to the microorganisms that feed on them and, in this way, allow their integration with nature.

A study published by the journal Frontiers in Chemistry discovered that squids have a ring of teeth at the base of the tentacles that serve to grab and suck their prey. They produce a protein called “squitex”, which has the ability to turn into fiber and can be used commercially by industry. Some products that can be obtained by this process are clothing and self-healing recyclable materials. These biopolymers would not only be sustainable, but would also not harm the squid population, as the scientists were able to create the protein using a fermentation process that uses water, sugar and oxygen.

A professor of plant cell biology and biotechnology, Jurgen Denecke, from the University of Leeds, UK, conducted a study to obtain a chemical base for plastic from tubers such as the potato. The process involves fermenting the starch to get alcohol and get more protein at the same time. In this sense, with 2 kilos of potato it is possible to obtain a bottle of ethanol and, in addition, a material called pulp of the cell wall or membrane, a composite resin that, when compressed by heat and pressure, looks like plastic. This material is completely renewable. The professor collaborated with designers to create useful objects from this resin, such as glasses and other accessories.

In Chiang Mai, Thailand, Rimping supermarket stopped using plastic bags and decided to wrap its products in banana leaves. These come from nature and are perfectly compostable. In countries like India, these leaves are often used as a dish to serve food, and in Mexico, they are used to wrap tamales, a typical dish.

Materials scientist Javier Fernández from Harvard University in the USA has created a translucent plastic-like material called shrilk (shrimp, shrimp and silk, silk). It is a biomimetic plastic, inspired by the cuticle or the skin of insects. In the process, silk proteins and polysaccharides are removed from the toughest part of the shrimp. This material can replace, for example, the packaging used in the sale of meat and is designed to be used for a few hours and discarded after a few days. Shrilk is stronger than regular plastic and can take any shape. Also, if the product is thrown into the field, it can be used as a fertilizer.

Scientists around the world are increasingly taking steps to create alternatives to plastic and help reduce pollution. The industry could relate in a more friendly and conscious way to the Planet, if these discoveries were massively commercialized.

What do you think of these alternatives to plastic? Have you used any of them in your daily life? Tell us in the comments section.