Professor Karen Wooley and her team from Texas A&M University presented their findings at a meeting of the American Chemical Society. They have developed a method to completely convert black soldier flies into biodegradable plastic after their lives have ended. Wooley and her team have been working for 20 years on ways to convert natural products – such as glucose from sugar cane or trees – into biodegradable polymers that do not last forever in the environment. “Those natural products are harvested from resources that are also used for food, fuel, construction or transportation,” she says at the meeting.
Black soldier fly
This is where the uncompetitive black soldier fly comes in. Making bioplastics from this fly comes at the end of a longer chain. The maggots (larvae) of the black soldier fly are already used as animal feed and they are used to process organic waste. The larva of the black soldier fly, because it eats quite greedily, can shorten the decomposition time of compost by months. After the larvae mature and complete their short life span, their carcasses are typically discarded. Wooley’s team did see opportunities with this waste material.
chitin
An important substance that these flies contain is chitin. That is the second most abundant polysaccharide (a sugar and biological polymer) in nature. Chitin is also found in crab shells. After isolating the chitin and grinding it into a powder form, the researchers converted it into chitosan. This material can then be modified in such a way that you can use it to make usable bioplastics.
Absorbent gel
Wooley’s team has already developed a super-absorbent, biodegradable hydrogel that can hold 47 times its own weight in water. This gel can be used to retain and release flood water in agricultural environments during periods of drought.
More research
The scientists are currently conducting further research into the possibilities of fly chitin. For example, they are now working on breaking down the chitin into monomers (organic molecules), which in turn can be building blocks for polymers. With this, the Texans want to develop bioplastics that are comparable to the usual plastics from the petrochemical industry, such as polycarbonates or polyurethanes.
Closed cycle
Wooley is excited about the opportunity to create a closed loop system in this way. “Ultimately, we want the waste plastic to be a food source for the insects. Then we can harvest them and collect their components to make new plastic. The insects are then not only the source, but also consume the discarded plastic.”
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2023-08-17 13:15:00
#Biodegradable #plastic #dead #flies #scientists #Change
