Keeping environment in mind, IIT Roorkee develops plant-based plastic packaging material
They have manufactured it by 60 percent plant-based polysaccharides without using chemicals. It is suitable for different packaging applications.
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New Delhi, Mar 24: Looking at the demand for environment-friendly packaging materials, the Indian Institute of Technology, IIT (Roorkee) has developed a substitute for single-use plastics packaging.
They have manufactured it by 60 percent plant-based polysaccharides without using chemicals. It is suitable for different packaging applications.
The plant-based plastic is fully biodegradable and non-toxic. The research was led by professor Kirtiraj K. Gaikwad and his MTech. (Packaging Tech.) student Lokesh Kumar to develop this pioneering alternative to synthetic plastics.
The plant mucilage was mixed with gelatine (colorless and tasteless water-soluble protein).
This mixture solution undergoes 12- hour mixing, and the film is fabricated from the obtained solution. These films are malleable enough to be developed into various packaging forms, including shopping bags, pouches, sachets, etc.
This plant-based plastic will help to reduce plastic pollution commonly caused by synthetic plastics. The developed plastic was made without adding any chemical, which is widely used in plastic processing, said Lokesh Kumar.
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