大象传媒 Scotland - 大象传媒 Scotland - Plastic鈥檚 fantastic alternative 鈥� how a delicious crustacean could hold the key to reducing the pollution clogging up our oceans

Plastic鈥檚 fantastic alternative 鈥� how a delicious crustacean could hold the key to reducing the pollution clogging up our oceans

11 June 2018

Disposing of plastic packaging waste is not just expensive, but a missed recycling opportunity too.

And a lot of what isn’t disposed of properly can end up in the ocean, causing “irreparable damage” to marine life.

The Landward team met scientists in Oban who are using a byproduct from scampi production to create what they describe as a solution to both problems.

Langoustines and plastic

Euan is in Oban to see how a new alternative to plastic is made

* Neither try this yourself nor consume the results.

Grind up langoustine shells to create a paste.
Ferment that paste for two days.
Spin it in a centrifuge for five minutes to separate out a substance called chitin — a bipolymer which is found in all crustaceans, insects and fungi.
Dissolve the chitin to form chitosan.
Pour onto a flat surface and leave to dry.
Once dry, peel away the final product: a layer of bioplastic, compostable film.

Various natural substances can be added to at the chitosan stage to produce a final product that’s either flexible rigid plastic.

“[The chitosan] actively kills bacteria,” explained chief scientist Ryan Taylor. “It makes food last longer and reduces food waste.”

He demonstrated by comparing two petrie dishes contained a sample of salmon five days past its sell-by date.

The normal plastic dish contained a large build-up of bacteria, which Ryan described as “pretty mingin’*” and something that “would make you ill.”

The chitosan dish, however, contained noticeably smaller build-up.

According to the scientist, stopping the growth of bacteria allows for food stored within chitosan to last longer, therefore reducing food waste.