Work

Aqueous‐Based Assembly of Plant‐Derived Proteins Yields a Crosslinker‐Free Biodegradable Bioplastic Consistent with Green Chemistry Principles

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Plastics are an indispensable part of modern life. Due to the harmful environmental consequences of petroleum-based plastic usage, there is an urgent need to replace them with biodegradable bioplastics that meet the sustainability standards required for a low environmental footprint. Here, we use plant-derived proteins to produce bioplastics. Since most plant-derived proteins are not water-soluble, there has always been a need to use acidic or basic solutions or organic solvents with plasticizers and crosslinkers to produce bioplastic. Here, we present a counterintuitive approach for using water-insoluble plant-derived soy and pea proteins to manufacture large-scale bioplastics using only water as a solvent without common plasticizers or crosslinkers. We show that bioplastics can form via a self-assembly process initiated by a small molecular initiator while maintaining favourable mechanical properties. The lack of crosslinking and the protein nature of the bioplastic leads to a rapid biodegradation process under various conditions. Overall, the approach we present is highly attractive in terms of cost and time, and most importantly, it obeys all the relevant principles of green chemistry in bioplastics production.

Source: ChemSusChem

DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202401567

Authors: Amit Kumar Sarkar, Ziyu Yang, Tal Astruc, Nadav Amdursky

Institutions: Aston University, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, University of Sheffield

Language: English

Topic: biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties

Subfield: Biomaterials

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,330