Scale-up of pilot plants manufacturing bio plastics from shrimp shells is the aim of the Wyss Institute team

Some bio-plastics are made from cellulose while others are made from chitosan which is a form of chitin – the organic material with the second highest availability on earth. Researchers at Harvard Wyss Institute state that there are small plants which are producing chitosan from krill, squid ink and fungi. Javier Fernandez, a postdoctoral fellow, stated that they have collaborated with two companies in order to scale up the manufacturing process using shrimp shells.

The Wyss Institute team is headed by Don Ingber and Fernandez. Fernandez said that the material that should be used for the manufacture of chitosan should be selected depending upon its application. The team has developed a process with which they can sculpture large, intricate, 3D objects with the help of injection molding or traditional casting techniques. They have proved that the chitosan bioplastic is biodegradable and decomposes within two weeks. The disadvantage lies in the fact that it is 2 to 3 times more expensive than non-specialized plastics.

The team aims at using chitin in a way similar to that of nature itself. They learnt that the chitosan’s molecular geometry depends on the way it is formulated. Their goal was to formulate it in a manner that retains its natural molecular geometry and continues to display its strong mechanical characteristics. Fernandez and Ingber have come up with a process that produces a liquid crystal product that can be put to use in casting and injection molding manufacturing methods. The source of this article is: http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Trends/Smart-packaging/Scale-up-aim-for-bioplastic-from-shrimp-shells