Academics at The Open University have developed the UK’s first biodegradable plastics test facility.
In the run-up to World Environment Day (June 5th) and its theme of Think.Eat.Save, the academics, Carl Boardman and Jim Frederickson in The Open University’s Integrated Waste Systems research group (Faculty of Maths, Computing and Technology), have announced a commercial/research venture with industry and the Renewable Energy Association, to support the development of food packaging materials that will fully degrade over a period of months rather than years.
Consequently, the UK plastics industry will have for the first time an international accredited (DIN CERTCO) facility on its doorstep to support UK industry research and development. The OU now has the expertise and laboratory equipment to test the chemical characterisation, the biodegradability, disintegration and the impact on compost quality of plastics materials (BS EN 13432).
Dr Boardman claims that in the UK alone, householders throw away approximately seven million tonnes of food per year with as much as 60 per cent being untouched produce. This activity generates greenhouse gas emissions as the production, packaging, transportation and disposal of food all requires the use of energy.
The OU aims to reduce the environmental impact of food packaging by helping UK industry develop novel biodegradable plastics. These materials typically incorporate organic materials such as starch or cellulose into polyethylene, or use naturally-forming linear polyesters produced in nature (e.g. polyhydroxyalkanoates). As a result, these types of plastic materials are generally more susceptible to microbial breakdown during industrial or home composting, a recycling process that diverts waste from landfill.
“We aim to help develop materials that degrade over months and not years,” said Dr Boardman. “The holy grail for us is to help develop products that are used in everyday life, such as plastic carrier bags, which you can simply put in your compost bin at home or through industrial composting processes”.
Read more about the Integrated Waste Management Research Group’s activities. Contact Dr Carl Boardman to discuss research opportunities and commercial testing.
This story is part of a series on how OU research is changing the world and improving the environment. More stories mainly from the OU Ecosystems and Biodiversity group can be read here.